Monday, November 3, 2003

MORAVIAN WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM TO TRAVEL TO LEBANON VALLEY FOR COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College women’s soccer team will be the third seed in the 2003 Commonwealth Conference Championship Tournament that begins on Tuesday, November 4th, and the Greyhounds will travel to second seeded Lebanon Valley College for a 2:30 p.m. semifinal match on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s other semifinal will have top seeded Messiah College hosting fourth seed Susquehanna University at 7:00 p.m. The winning teams will meet at the highest remaining seed on Saturday, November 8th for the Commonwealth Conference Championship. The winner of Saturday’s contest will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships that begin on Wednesday, November 12th.

Moravian, under the direction of fifth year head coach Eric Lambinus, has a 10-2-4 record this season with a 5-1-1 slate in the Commonwealth Conference. The Greyhounds played to a scoreless tie with Lebanon Valley in their regular season match-up, one of four scoreless ties for Moravian this season. The National Soccer Coaches Association of America ranks the Greyhounds eighth in the Mid-Atlantic Region this week while Moravian is seventh in the region in the latest NCAA poll. The Greyhounds are making their third appearance in the Commonwealth Conference Tournament in the last four seasons.

Sophomore forward Megan Collins (Dover, DE/Caesar Rodney HS) leads the Greyhounds in scoring with ten goals and four assists for 24 points. Junior forward Brianne DeVries (Stockton, NJ/Delaware Valley Regional HS) has contributed four goals and five assists for 13 points with all four of her goals winning matches. Sophomore midfielder Jessica Cordani (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Boro HS) has added three goals and three assists for nine points.

Senior midfielder Justina Bria (Warminster, PA/William Tennent HS) has tallied three goals and two assists for eight points while senior midfielder Heather Bichler (Waverly, PA/Abington Heights HS) has scored a goal and two assists for four points. Freshman midfielder Kristina Adams (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery HS) has three goals and an assist for seven points while freshman forward Alisha Davy (Oaklyn, NJ/Haddon Heights HS) has scored two goals and an assist in her debut season.

Junior defender Kelly Haymaker (Hellertown, PA/Saucon Valley HS) has scored a goal and an assist for three points. Sophomore forward Lindsay Pohl (West Lawn, PA/Wilson West Lawn HS) has added a goal and three assists while freshman defender Erin Gonda (Bethlehem, PA/Salisbury HS), sophomore defender Kindal Estes (New Providence, NJ/New Providence HS) and senior defender Rachel Davy (Oaklyn, NJ/Haddon Heights HS) each have one assist.

Junior goalie Jill Vaccaro (South Salem, NY/John Jay HS) has allowed just 12 goals in 1,398 minutes of action. Vaccaro has a 0.77 goals-against average, 89 saves, a 10-2-3 record and eight shutouts this season, which breaks her school record of six shutouts in a year. Vaccaro combined with senior keeper Kelly Wakeman (Easton, PA/Easton HS) in shutouts of DeSales University and rival Muhlenberg College. Wakeman has not allowed a goal in 111 minutes while making six saves.

Lebanon Valley also has a 10-2-4 record this season, and the Flying Dutchmen are tied for fifth in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll. Lebanon Valley tied Messiah College for the top spot in the Commonwealth Conference during the regular season but the Flying Dutchmen were made the second seed due to Messiah’s victory over Moravian.

Senior midfielder Kim McDonald and senior forward Katie Altemose have each tallied five goals and four assists for 14 points to lead the Flying Dutchmen in scoring this season. Altemose has scored four game-winning goals while sophomore midfielder Christy Puthawala has three game-winning goals among her team-high six goals this season. Puthawala has added an assist for 13 points.

Senior midfielder Amber Spell and junior midfielder Christine Schmidt each have three goals and two assists for eight points while sophomore forward Kat Lamplugh has contributed three goals and an assist for seven points for the Flying Dutchmen this fall.

Junior forward Heather Runkle has added a goal and an assist while freshman midfielder Keri Foster, junior midfielder Lisa Giaquinto, freshman forward Gretchen Artz and sophomore midfielder Abbey Esbenshade have each found the back of the net once for Lebanon Valley. Junior forward Ilyse Resnick has added an assist this season.

Sophomore goalie Jess Conrad has a 0.69 goals against average, 90 saves, five shutouts and a 10-2-3 record in 1,438 minutes of action while sophomore keeper Becky Kuhfahl has a 1.05 goals-against average and four saves in 86 minutes of action. The duo has combined on two shutouts.