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