Skyhawks and Panthers set to face off for the second time this season

NE-10 Championship Information Page

EASTON, Mass. (November 3, 2016) – The fourth-seeded Stonehill College women's soccer team travels to top-seeded and No. 12 nationally ranked  Adelphi University for a 4 p.m. semifinal matchup on Friday, November 4 in the 2016 Northeast-10 Conference women's soccer tournament on Skyhawk Field.

Stonehill (13-5-1, 9-5-1 NE-10) is making its return to the NE-10 Tournament following a one-year absence. The Skyhawks' last appearance came in 2014, when they lost to top-seeded Assumption College, 2-1, in the quarterfinals. Stonehill is 5-3 (.625) all-time in NE-10 quarterfinal action, advancing to eight semifinals and three finals, while winning titles in 1993 and 1995. This is the first time that Stonehill has hosted a NE-10 tournament match since 1999.

The Skyhawks have also reached national rankings six weeks out of the nine polls this season. Stonehill matched its highest ranking of four this season, the last time in 1999.

Stonehill reached the semifinal match after a 2-0 victory over fifth-seeded Saint Rose. Courtney Campo (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) and Andrea Mancuso (Highland Hills, N.Y./Cornwall Central) recorded the goals, as Meredith Moore (Salem, Conn./East Lyme) and Caroline Colbert (Peabody, Mass./Peabody Veterans) tallied the assists, respectively. As a team, the Skyhawks have picked up their ninth shutout of the season, continuing their most successful season since 1999 when that team finished with a 17-4-0 overall mark.

Adelphi (15-2-1, 11-2-1 NE-10) has climbed the standings in the NE-10 since joining the league in 2009. The Panthers have claimed two NE-10 regular season championships, including this years' crown. In the seven years of being in the NE-10, they have made two NCAA appearances in 2013 and 2015, and one ECAC appearance losing in the championship game in penalty kicks.

The Panthers reached the semifinal game with a goal in the final minute of regulation from Morgan Santoro, which forced overtime, while Victoria Antonino registered the game-winner in double overtime to lead the top-seeded Adelphi University women's soccer team passed eighth seeded Southern New Hampshire 2-1 on Tuesday afternoon during a Northeast-10 Conference Championship Quarterfinal match.

Tomorrow night's match will be the second meeting this fall between Stonehill and Adelphi. In the fourth week of the season, the Skyhawks traveled to New York as Stonehill edged Adelphi 4-3. The Panthers started off the game with two goals from leading scorer Morgan Santoro before the Skyhawks' Moore was able to cut the deficit to one, 2-1, with a goal at the 20^th minute of the game. Santoro picked up her third tally of the game, recording a hat trick seven minutes after Moore to extend the lead to two once again, 3-1. In the 40^th minute of play, Nicole Geraghty (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham Regional) tallied her third goal of the season as she collected a pass from Campo. A few minutes later Adelphi knocked the ball into its own goal knotting the game at three before the end of the first half. Lauren Kapatoes (Hopedale, Mass./Hopedale) picked up a through ball from Madalyn Fernbach (Plainview, N.Y./Plainview JFK) as she notched her fifth score of the season and her second game-winning goal for a 4-3 victory in the 75^th minute of the game.

Stonehill opened its 2016 campaign with a 10-0-1 record in its first 11 games, before going 2-5-0 over its final seven matches of the regular season. The balanced squad, which includes 10 seniors and eight freshmen picked up its first Catholic Cup Championship in the history of the program. The team posted eight shutouts in the 18-game schedule, ranking first in the conference. The Skyhawks rank third in the NE-10 with 25 goals, while their 14 goals allowed are the second fewest in the league.

Senior forward Kapatoes and junior forward Moore have been the offensive catalysts this season for Stonehill, as they lead the team and are tied for 16^th and tied for 19th, respectively in the NE-10 with 14 points and 13 points. Kapatoes opened up her final season as a Skyhawk with a goal and an assist in the first game of the Catholic Cup. She has recorded one three-point game and five two-point matches. Moore has posted one four-point game this season when she posted two goals against the Golden Knights.

Senior midfielder Brianna Duserick (Canton, Mass./Canton) and freshman midfielder Nerger have each posted seven points this season. Duserick has tallied five assists, leading the team and fifth in the conference. Nerger had a three-point game against Saint Michael's College where she also tallied the game winner a 3-0 victory this season.

Senior forward Lydia Beiter (Newtown, Conn./Newtown), sophomore midfielder Fernbach, and freshman forward Geraghty each follow the duo with six points each. Beiter has posted her first-career goals this year, notching three, including two game winners. Geraghty also recorded her first-career goals this year, including two goals against Molloy College.

In net, senior Jamie Block (Georgetown, Mass./Georgetown) ranks second in goals against average with 0.78, wins with 13, and in save percentage with .844, and fifth in saves with 81. The senior is also ranked 46^th in the nation in save percentage. Block leads the conference with ninth shutouts, while posting the most time in net.

Stonehill ranks in the top 70 of nine categories throughout the nation including 35^th in save percentage (0.848), 49^th in total assists (27), 50^th in goals against average (0.780), shutout percentage (50) and win-lost-tied percentage (0.711), 52nd in total points (97), 53rd in total goals (35), 65^th in assists per game (1.42), and 68^th in points per game (5.11).

Adelphi opened up the season with an 8-1-0 record, while closing the season with a 6-1-1 mark completing their schedule with six-straight wins and a loss against its final opponent, Southern New Hampshire. Before this year, the Panthers have posted one NE-10 regular season championship, while also winning one tournament title.

Adelphi leads the league in goals and points, as Morgan Santoro has tallied 23 goals and six assists for 52 points. Teammate Jeanine Nunez follows, ranking fourth in goals with 11 and second in points with 30.

The Panthers are ranked in the top 15 of seven categories in the nation including sixth in total goals (60) and total points (161), seventh in points per game (8.94) and scoring offense (3.33), tenth in total assists (41), 11^th in assists per game (2.28), and 13^th in won-lost-tied percentage (0.861).

The winner of tomorrow evenings match will advance to Sunday's championship game to take on the winner of No. 6 Pace University versus No. 7 Le Moyne College contest. Pace earned the sixth seed with its 6-5-2 league mark with 20 points, while Le Moyne finished the regular season at 6-6-1 in conference play with 19 points, good for the seventh-place seed.

2016 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Soccer Championship Schedule

Tuesday, November 1 - Quarterfinals
Match 1: #8 Southern New Hampshire at #1 Adelphi, 1:00 pm
Match 2: #7 Le Moyne at #2 American International, 7:00 pm
Match 3: #6 Pace at #3 Southern Connecticut, 7:00 pm
Match 4: #5 Saint Rose at #4 Stonehill, 1:00 pm

Friday, November 4 - Semifinals
at Higher Seeds
Match 5: No. 12 Adelphi vs. # 4 Stonehill, 4:00 pm
Match 6: #7 Le Moyne at #6 Pace, 7 pm

Sunday, November 9 Championship
at Highest Seed
Match 7: Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner TBD at Higher Seed

*Please note that the championship game time shall be 1:00 pm.

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