Monday, November 1, 2010

MORAVIAN WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM TO TRAVEL TO THE UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON
IN LANDMARK CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College women’s soccer team is seeded fourth in the 2010 Landmark Conference Championship Tournament and will travel to top seeded The University of Scranton Royals for a semifinal match on Wednesday, November 3rd at 7:00 p.m.

The Greyhounds, who are 5-12-2 overall and posted a 3-3 mark in Landmark Conference regular season action, are making their seventh postseason appearance overall and third in four seasons of the Landmark Conference.  The Royals enter the contest at 13-4-1 overall.  Scranton was 6-0 in Landmark Conference action during the regular season, and defeated Moravian 3-0 on the HUB Quad in Bethlehem on October 19th.

Wednesday’s other semifinal match features second seeded Drew University hosting third seed Juniata College in a 4:30 p.m. match.  The winners will meet on Saturday, November 6th at the highest remaining seed for the conference championship and an automatic berth to the 2010 NCAA Division III Tournament.

Moravian head coach Brienne Smith has led the Greyhounds in the postseason in her first year with the program.  Smith’s squad has struggled with injuries this season with starters missing a total of 40 matches.

Sophomore defender Eileen Black (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville HS) leads the Greyhounds in scoring with four goals and an assist for nine points while freshman midfielder Rachael Hurley (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan HS) has three goals for six points.  Junior midfielder Kim Gogel (Whippany, NJ/Whippany Park HS) has four points on two goals including the game-winner over Baldwin-Wallace College early in the season as the Greyhounds won the Herb Lauffer Memorial Tournament at Penn State-Behrend. 

Junior midfielder Jenna Stickle (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough HS) has added a goal and two assists for four points while junior forward Arielle Caldas (Cherry Hills, NJ/Cherry Hills West HS), who has missed a total of nine matches this season with an injury, has two goals including a game-winning goal over Hiram College with 56 seconds remaining in the contest. 

Senior midfielder Emily Rodriguez (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS), who has missed seven matches, senior forward Shannon McEvoy (Lafayette, NJ/High Point Regional HS), freshman midfielder/forward Taylor DiSora (Easton, PA/Easton HS) and senior defender Mallory Goggins (Wilmington, DE/Wilmington Friends HS) each have scored one goal this fall.  Senior midfielder Tara Alberse (New Providence, NJ/New Providence HS) has two assists this fall while junior midfielder/forward Kristin Popovice (Roseto, PA/Bangor HS) and senior forward Jennelle Mirro (Bath, PA/Notre Dame HS), who has missed ten matches with an injury, have each added one assist this season. 

Senior goalie Sarah Halpin (Downingtown, PA/Downingtown West HS), who was the Most Valuable Player at the Herb Lauffer Memorial Tournament back in early September, has a 1.85 goals-against average, 108 saves, a .788 save percentage, a 5-8-2 record and two shutouts in 1,409 minutes of action.  Sophomore Tori Korona (Easton, PA/Easton HS) has played 270 minutes for Moravian, making 27 saves with a 3.67 goals-against average and an 0-3 mark while freshman Genevieve Chaleff (Cranford, NJ/Cranford HS) has made five saves, a 3.00 goals-against average and an 0-1 record in 90 minutes of action.

The Royals are coached by Colleen Murphy, who is in her third season, and she has led Scranton to the Landmark Conference Tournament for the third straight season.

Leading Scranton is freshman forward Samantha Russo, who has scored seven goals including three game-winning goals, and added eight assists for 22 points.  Senior midfielder Chelsea Paskman has contributed five goals and four assists for 14 points while freshman midfielder/forward Rebecca Hextall has five goals and an assist for 11 points.  Hextall has scored four game-winning goals while Paskman has a pair of game-winners.  Senior midfielder/forward Caroline Corasaniti has netted four goals this fall for eight points for Scranton while sophomore midfielder Sydney Parker has two goals and four assists for six points.

Junior midfielder Christina Cognetti has contributed two goals and an assist for five points this season while sophomore midfielder Sarah Gibbons has scored two game-winning goals for four points.  Freshman forward Lizzy Straccia has a goals and two assists for four points for Scranton while freshmen midfielders Kaitlyn Greeley and Katie Hennigan each have one goal.  Sophomore defender Jess Sciscione has one assist this season.

In goal, senior Caitlin Byrne has posted a 0.49 goals-against average, 64 saves, ten shutouts and an 11-4-1 record in 1,482 minutes of action.  Freshman keeper Kelsey McAnelly has one shutout, a 2-0 record, one save and a 0.00 goals-against average in 135 minutes while sophomore goalie Elizabeth Piliero has one save in 45 minutes of action.  The Royals had 12 shutouts in 18 matches this fall.