NCAA Division II East Regional Women’s Soccer Preview: #4 Stonehill Versus #5 American International

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

2016 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship 1st & 2nd Rounds Tournament Central

BROCKTON ENTERPRISE: "Stonehill women's team ready for NCAA Tourney debut"

EASTON, Mass. (November 9, 2016) – The fourth-seeded Stonehill College women's soccer team will travel to Bridgeport, Connecticut to face the fifth-seeded American International College Friday, November 11 at 1 p.m. on Knights Field in the opening round of the NCAA East Regional bracket, hosted by the top-seeded University of Bridgeport.

Tickets for the games on Knights Field can be purchased on site for $5.00 (adults), $3.00 for students with I.D./senior citizens, and $2.00 for children ages 2-12. Children under the age of 2 shall be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. Live stats and broadcast will be available for both the Friday and Sunday games. On the Stonehill College campus, students may watch the game with a free viewing party at the Hill where there will be pizza and giveaways.
 

Stonehill won its first Northeast-10 Tournament Championship in 21 years

Stonehill (15-5-1, 8-5-1 NE-10) is making program history as the first women's soccer team to make the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Skyhawks made its way to the Tournament after defeating conference rival Pace University in the Northeast-10 championship match on Sunday, November 6 on Skyhawk Field. The squad made 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 now 6-3 (.667) all-time in NE-10 quarterfinal action, advancing to nine semifinals and four finals, while winning titles in 1993, 1995 and this year. This was 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.

American International (11-7-1, 9-5-0 NE-10) has had a strong presence in the NE-10 Conference Tournament as it has reached 12 quarterfinals and only advancing to one championship match in 1998. The Yellow Jackets have also appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times, making it as far as the Final Four round in 2013.

Friday afternoon's match will be the second meeting this fall between Stonehill and American International. In the seventh week of the season, the Skyhawks traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts, where they fell to the Yellow Jackets by a one-goal decision, dropping only its second match of the season. Senior goalkeeper Jamie Block (Georgetown, Mass./Georgetown) tallied four saves in the battle, as Stonehill only got off one shot on goal.

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 38 goals, while their 16 goals allowed is the least in the league.

Kapatoes

Senior forward Lauren Kapatoes (Hopedale, Mass./Hopedale) and junior forward Meredith Moore (Salem, Conn./East Lyme) have been the offensive catalysts this season for Stonehill, as they lead the team and are 12th and 19th, respectively in the NE-10 with 18 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 four-point contest, 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 College of Saint Rose.

Freshman midfielder Nicole Geraghty (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham Regional) has posted eight points this season, including the game-winning goal against Adelphi in the semifinal match of the NE-10 Tournament. Senior Brianna Duserick (Canton, Mass./Canton) has tallied five assists, leading the team and eighth in the conference, notching seven points this season. Classmate Andrea Mancuso (Highland Mills, N.Y./Cornwall Central) and freshman Elizabeth Nerger (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) follow with seven points apiece, as well.
 
Senior forward Lydia Beiter (Newtown, Conn./Newtown) and sophomore midfielder Madalyn Fernbach (Plainview, N.Y./Plainview JFK) follow the trio with six points each. Beiter posted her first-career goals this year, notching three, including two game winners. Fernbach tallied her goals this season assisting Stonehill to a 4-3 victory over No. 5 Adelphi University and Saint Michael's College.
 
In net, senior Block ranks second in goals against average with 0.75, first in wins with 15 and save percentage with .852, and fifth in saves with 92. The senior is also ranked 35th in the nation in save percentage. Block leads the conference with 10 shutouts, while posting the most time in net.
 

Block

Stonehill ranks in the top 70 of nine categories throughout the nation including 22nd in save percentage (0.858), 34th in win-lost-tied percentage (0.738), 40th in total goals (38), 41st in total assists (29), 42nd in goals-against average (0.753), 43rd in total points (105), 47th in shutout percentage (0.476), 67th in assists per game (1.38), and 68th in points per game (5.00).
 
American International opened up the season with a 7-2-0 record, while closing the season with a 4-5-0 mark completing their schedule with a non-conference 2-0 victory over Molloy College and two losses to Adelphi, 3-1, and Bentley University, 2-1.
 
Johanna Nilsson leads the Yellow Jackets with nine points, three goals and three assists. Johanna Englund follows with three goals and one assist for seven total points, while Frederica Frew mimics her statistics this year. In net, American International has Madison Brown recording a 0.70 goals against average along with a 0.792 save percentage and six shutouts. Brown is ranked 39th in the nation in goals against average.
American International is ranked in the top 100 of three categories in the nation including 54th in goals against average (0.811), 76th in won-lost percentage (0.605), and 90th in shutout percentage (0.368).
 
The winner of Friday afternoon's match will advance to Sunday's contest against top-seeded Bridgeport with a 12 p.m. game time.

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