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

NE-10 Championship Information Page

EASTON, Mass. (October 31, 2016) – The fourth-seeded Stonehill College women's soccer team will host ffth-seeded The College of Saint Rose tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. in the quarterfinal round of the 2016 Northeast-10 Conference women's soccer tournament on Skyhawk Field.

Stonehill (12-5-1, 8-5-1 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.

Saint Rose (11-6-0, 8-6-0 NE-10) has been a strong soccer force since entering the league in 2000. The Golden Knights have claimed seven NE-10 regular season championships in nine appearances in the final match. In 16 years, they have made 12 NCAA appearances including their lone NCAA title in 2011. This year, the Golden Knights have qualified for the NE-10 tournament finishing fifth in the league

Tomorrow night's match will be the second meeting this fall between Stonehill and Saint Rose. In the third week of the season, the Skyhawks hosted the Golden Knights on Skyhawk Field cruising to an 8-1 victory. Meredith Moore (Salem, Conn./East Lyme) tallied two goals, while Taylor Shannahan (Mendham, N.J./Morris Catholic), Hannah Fay (Tolland, Conn./Tolland), Andrea Mancuso (Highland Mills, N.Y./Cornwell Central), Madalyn Fernbach (Plainview, N.Y./Plainview JFK), Elizabeth Nerger (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield), and Lauren Kapatoes (Hopedale, Mass./Hopedale) each tallied one in the victory. Stonehill held Saint Rose to only two shots on goal, as the Skyhawks outshot the Golden Knights 19-6 over the 90 minutes of play.

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 22^nd, respectively in the NE-10 with 14 points and 12 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 Nicole Geraghty (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham Regional) 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 0.82 and wins with 12, third in save percentage with .831, and sixth in saves with 74. The senior is also ranked 46^th in the nation in save percentage. Block leads the conference with eight shutouts, while posting the most time in net.

Stonehill ranks in the top 75 of eight categories throughout the nation including 46^th in save percentage (0.837), 54^th in total points (91) and goals against average (0.822), 58^th in total goals (33), 59^th in total assists (25), 61^st in shutout percentage (0.444), 71^st in assists per game (1.39), and 74^th in goals per game (1.83).

Saint Rose opened up the season with a 5-2-0 record, while closing the season with a 6-4-0 mark completing their schedule with four-straight wins and a loss against its final opponent, Merrimack. Before this year, the Golden Knights have posted seven NE-10 regular season championships, while also winning seven tournament titles.

Freshman Nina Predanic leads the team with 24 points, including eight goals and eight assists. Elisa Galbiati follows the freshman with 14 points, as Sammy Blizzard, Victoria Barris, and Morgan Burchhardt fall one behind the other with 13, 12, and 11 points, respectively.

Sophomore goalkeeper Madison Taylor has led the defense recording 67 saves in the 16 games played, while also posting a 1.59 goals against average and three shutouts.

Saint Rose is ranked in the top 40 of six categories including 28^th in goals per game (28), 31^st in total assists (30), points per game (6.24), assists per game (1.76) and total goals (38), and 34^th in total points (106).

The winner of tomorrow night's match will advance to Friday's semifinal round to take on the winner of No. 8 Southern New Hampshire versus No. 1 Adelphi contest. Southern New Hampshire earned the eighth seed with its 7-6-1 league mark with 22 points, while Adelphi finished the regular season at 11-2-1 in conference play with 34 points, good for the first-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: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 4 ­ Time TBD
Match 6: Winner of Match 2 vs. Winner of Match 3 ­ Time TBD

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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