| No. 2 NSCAA / No. 1 D3Soccer.com Messiah College Falcons |
| Location: Grantham, PA
Coach: Scott Frey (15th season, 315-17-16 at Messiah entering weekend)
2014 Record: 19-0-2, 7-0-1 Commonwealth Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 15th
Last NCAA Appearance: 2013 Regional Semifinal, lost 1-0 (OT) to Ithaca |
How the Falcons got here: Messiah College enters the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid from Commonwealth. The Falcons are unbeaten in 21 games thus far, with their two ties both coming to conference rival Stevenson. Both of those draws were 1-1, including last Saturday's conference finale that saw the Mustangs earn the automatic qualifier (AQ) with a 4-3 shootout decision.
Despite seeing their seven-year run as conference champions come to an end, Messiah enters the Tournament with plenty of talent on all areas of the field. The Falcons have scored 77 goals this season and allowed just five, with an astounding 67 assists on their tallies.
Conference Offensive Player of the Year Nikki Elsaesser leads seven double-digit scorers, the top six of which are having career-best years in total points. Elsaesser (20g, 10a) and Marisa Weaver (14g, 10a) are the top two scorers, and they've combined for 11 game-winners. Kyele Bridel (7g, 8a), Erin Sollenberger (6g, 7a), Mackenzie Clapper (6g, 5a), and Holly Burgard (5g,6a) round out the top scorers, and each contribute to the Falcons' fierce offensive attack.
Macaulay Soto (3g, 7a), the Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year, patrols as the center midfielder and plays a significant role in the Falcons' offensive and defensive prowess. Hannah Weyland and Ashley Locke provided veteran to a deep and strong back row that allows just 4.4 shots per game, while keeper Audra Larson has become one of the Falcons' greatest assets; Larson owns 15 shutouts in 21 starts, with a 0.23 goals against average (GAA) and an .889 save percentage.
The Falcons own a number of impressive wins, including 1-0 double-overtime wins over both William Smith and Misericordia.
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| Brooklyn College Bulldogs |
| Location: Brooklyn, NY
Coach: Patrick Horne (3rd season, 31-19-2 at Brooklyn entering weekend)
2014 Record: 10-8-1, 5-0-1 City University of New York Athletic Association
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2nd
Last NCAA Appearance: 2013 First Round, lost 6-0 to Johns Hopkins |
How the Bulldogs got here: The Bulldogs won the CUNYAC for the second-straight season, an impressive feat considering their program is just three years old. This season they started 0-4 but finished 6-1 in the final seven games to get in the Tournament.
Brooklyn went 5-0-1 in conference play, and they avenged their lone (scoreless) tie to College of Staten Island by beating their rival 1-0 in the conference final. They've scored 37 goals this season, but they've given up 30 to their opponents. CUNYAC Rookie of the Year Isabelle Lalami leads the team with 10 goals and five assists, and has five game-winners. She scored three goals in back-to-back games a few weeks ago, but has gone scoreless since. Senior Bergelie Louis (8g, 4a) tallied the winner in the conference final, and sophomore Jordan Kerwin is close behind in points with five goals and six assists.
Freshman keeper Rebecca Harmata has started 17 of 19 games, and has a 1.40 GAA with a .797 save percentage. She has seven shutouts this season, including two in the team's conference tournament.
The Bulldogs and Falcons have one common opponent this season, Stevens, whom the Falcons defeated 4-0. Though Brooklyn lost 7-0 to Ducks, the Bulldogs played a close game (2-0 loss) to current No. 8 Montclair State and seem ready to challenge Messiah in the opening game.
This is the first meeting ever between Messiah and Brooklyn.
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| Gettysburg College Bullets |
| Location: Gettysburg, PA
Coach: Matt Garrett (8th season, 83-49-14 at Gettysburg entering weekend)
2014 Record: 13-4-1, 9-0-1 Centennial Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 7th
Last NCAA Appearance: 2004 First Round, lost 3-1 to TCNJ |
How the Bullets got here: Gettysburg is in the Tournament for the first time since 2004 after an impressive season in the ultra-tough Centennial Conference. The Bullets went 9-0-1 in conference play and were riding a nine-game win streak before falling to Swarthmore 2-0 in the conference semifinal. The Bullets lost a 1-0 battle with defending National Champion William Smith but have a 2-1 win over then-No. 6 Johns Hopkins to their credit.
The Bullets have scored just 31 goals this season, with 18 of those tallies coming in the second-half or later. The defense has allowed just 11 goals to all opponents, with just 5.8 shots per game given up. Gettysburg has worn down their opponents, getting into their attacking third and earning 116 corners against just 39 allowed.
Junior forward Lauren Schapiro leads the game with five goals and four assists, and she has three game-winners in the past four games. Seniors Georgia Fergus (5g, 1a) and Molly Phillips (4g, 3a) are also leading scorers.
Junior keeper Eliza Gray backs up a solid defense with a 0.67 GAA in 18 starts. She also carries a .766 save percentage with nine shutouts this season.
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| Capital University Crusaders |
| Location: Colombus, Ohio
Coach: Chris Kouns (4th season, 58-26-7 at Capital entering weekend)
2014 Record: 16-5-1, 6-2-1 Ohio Athletic Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 6th
Last NCAA Appearance: 2013 National Semifinal, lost 1-0 to William Smith |
How the Crusaders got here: This season marks the third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years for Capital. They've now won two-straight OAC Championships, and last year they advanced to the Final Four before losing to eventual-Champion William Smith, 1-0.
The Crusaders are outscoring their opponents 49-21, though they're being outshot by a 20.3 to 16.9 margin. Still, they're putting .527 of their own shots on goal, while allowing just a .481 percentage to their opponents. Capital also carries a 110-53 edge in corners this season.
Six players are in double-digit scoring for the Crusaders, with the first four and five of the first six being either first- or second-year players. Sophomore Becca Cartmill (8g, 8a) leads the team with 24 points, with three freshmen following: Amanda Kachaylo (8g, 5a), Shelby Johnson (8g, 2a), and defender Mary Bushee (6g, 2a).
Junior keeper Kim Leitch has started all 19 games in her first full-time season, and has earned both a 0.78 GAA and a .837 save percentage. She has seven shutouts this season.
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