San Antonio, TX - The Falcons find themselves in a familiar spot headed into the final weekend of the season. Not only is this the ninth-time in as many years the Falcons have traveled to Final Four weekend, but the teams that will accompany the Falcons are ones they have become well-acquainted with in recent memory.
Messiah will face former MAC Conference and recent mid-season foe Misericordia University in the second of two semifinal matches on Friday, November 30th at 8:30 p.m. ET. Earlier this season the Falcons bested the Cougars on Shoemaker Field 2-0 in one of just two losses for the Cougars this season.
The first semifinal matchup pits No. 16 Emory University, who handed the Falcons their lone defeat this season, against No. 11 Wheaton College (Ill.), a team the Falcons defeated last season for their fourth national championship. The Emory-Wheaton game will be played at 6:00 p.m. ET at Blossom Stadium.
See below for a look at each of the Final Four teams in San Antonio this weekend.
Traveling to support the Falcons? Don't miss the free BBQ Reception hosted by the Falcon Athletic Network on Friday!
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#1 Messiah College Falcons |
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Location: Grantham, PA
Coach: Scott Frey (13th season, 274-14-13 record at Messiah)
2012 Record: 22-1-1 overall, 9-0 Commonwealth Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 13th, 4 National Championships
Last NCAA Tournament Result: 2011 National Champions, 3-1 win over Wheaton
2012 NCAA Tournament
First Round: Defeated Roger Williams University 2-1
Second Round: Defeated Grove City College 3-0
Sectional Semifinal: Defeated MIT 5-0
Sectional Final: Defeated Johns Hopkins University 3-0
Messiah in National Team Statistics: 4th in scoring offense (3.33 goals per game); 5th in goals scored (70); 5th in assists (63); 2nd in goals against average (0.28).
Messiah's Players in National Statistics: Alex Brandt is 47th in goals scored (17), 14th in assists (13), 24th in total points (47), and 47th in game winning goals (5); Nikki Elsaesser is 28th in assists (11); Audra Larson is 1st in goals-against average (0.245) and minutes played (2202), and 11th in save percentage (0.885),
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Scouting the Falcons: Unbeaten in their last 22 contests, the Falcons soar into the Final Four fresh off a convincing round of wins in the Sectional tournament. After narrowly escaping their first exit prior to Final Four weekend in nine seasons in a First Round win over Roger Williams University, the Falcons have rattled off three straight victories by a combined score of 11-0, largely in part to the stellar play of senior Alex Brandt.
Brandt's four goals and one assist leads a Falcons' attacking core that has tallied 13 goals in four tournament games, and one that compliments a stifling defense-- allowing just 0.25 goals per game during that stretch.
The Falcons' offense has four goal scorers totaling ten or more goals on the season including freshman Nikki Elsaesser (10g, 11a). On the opposite end of the field, freshamn goalkeeper Audra Larson cornerstones a defense ranked second in the nation in goals against average, allowing just six goals over the entire season and one goal over the tournament's first four games.
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#10 Misericordia University Cougars |
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Location: Dallas, PA
Coach: Mark Stauffer (13th season, 170-81-14 at Misericordia)
2012 Record: 20-2-2 overall, 7-0 Freedom Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 7th
Overall Tournament Record: 13-6-1
Last NCAA Tournament Result: 2011 Second Round, Loss to Amherst 3-1
2012 NCAA Tournament
First Round: Defeated Lesley University 2-0
Second Round: Defeated Middlebury College 1-0
Sectional Semifinal: Eliminated Ithaca College in PKs, 6-5
Sectional Final: Defeated Brandeis University 2-0
Miseri's Team in National Statistics: 24th in scoring offense (3.17 goals per game); 11th in win-percentage (0.875); 16th in goals-against average (0.491); 20th in shutout percentage (0.625)
Miseri's Players in National Statistics: Sam Helmstetter is 36th in goals scored (18) and 31st in total points (45); Nicolette Hensel is 20th in assists (12); Laura Roney is 28th in assists (11), 19th in game-winning goals (6), and 49th in points scored (39); Maureen Ciccosanti is 3rd in goals against average (0.318), 2nd in save percentage (0.936), and 13th in minutes played (1981).
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Scouting the Cougars: After losing just one senior from a team that advanced to the Second Round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, the Cougars returned in 2012 with plenty of experience. Misericordia advanced to the Final Four for the first time in program history, riding their program's best season ever at 20-2-2. A smothering defense led the Cougars past Lesley, Middlebury, and Brandeis through the first four games of the tournament.
The Cougars are extremely confident on the defensive side of the ball, particularly in freshman goalkeeper Maureen Ciccosanti. Ciccosanti sits third in the nation in goals against average (0.32) and second in save percentage (0.936). In the Cougars' sectional semifinal matchup against Ithaca College, Ciccosanti kept her team's postseason hopes alive with a diving save during PKs.
On the offensive side of the ball, four Cougars have tallied double-digit goals on the season, led by senior Sam Helmstetter's 18 tallies-- a mark good for 36th in the nation. Classmate Laura Roney provides the Cougars with a balanced offensive skill set, contributing 11 assists to accompany her 14 goals on the season from the midfield.
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#11 Wheaton College (Ill.) Thunder |
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Location: Wheaton, IL
Coach: Pete Felske (25th season, 407-98-28 at Wheaton)
2012 Record: 21-3-2 overall, 5-1-1 CCIW
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 15th
Overall Tournament Record: 45-9-5, 3 National Championships
Last NCAA Tournament Result: 2011 National Runner-up, 3-1 Loss to Messiah
2012 NCAA Tournament
First Round: Defeated Webster University 4-0
Second Round: Defeated University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 7-0
Sectional Semifinal: Defeated Hardin-Simmons University 2-1 in OT
Sectional Final: Defeated Washington University 3-1
Wheaton in National Team Statistics: 27th in scoring offense (3.08 goals per game) and16th in winning percentage (0.846)
Wheaton's Players in National Statistics: Leah DeMoss is 16th in goals (21), 42nd in assists (10), 17th in points scored (52), and 9th in game-winning goals (7); Ally Witt is 24th in goals (20) and 26th in points scored (46); Kelsey Graham is 40th in goals-against average (0.654) |
Scouting the Thunder: After scoring 11 goals in the tournament's first two matches, the Thunder narrowly escaped a disheatening loss to Hardin-Simmons in the Sectional Semifinal. After scoring with just seconds left to knot the score at one apiece, the Thunder tallied a goal in the game's first overtime period to advance to the Sectional Final game against Washington University. The Thunder received goals from three different players in the Sectional Final game to advance to its seventh Final Four in program history.
The Thunder boast a variety of strong offensive players, including Leah DeMoss (21g, 10a) and Ally Witt (20g, 6a) who rank in the top-25 nationally for goals scored. Witt has contributed on more than a third of the Thunder's goals this postseason, tallying five goals and a assist through four games. On the opposite side of the ball the Thunder have surrendered just two goals in the postseason behind a duo of keepers in Kelsey Graham and Hillary Barreto.
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#16 Emory University Eagles |
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Location: Atlanta, GA
Coach: Sue Patberg (8th season, 109-23-25 at Emory)
2012 Record: 14-1-7 overall, 3-1-3 UAA Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 13th
Overall Tournament Record: 13-11-5
Last NCAA Tournament Result: 2011 NCAA Sectional Finals, 2-1 Loss to Hardin-Simmons
2012 NCAA Tournament
First Round: Defeated DePauw University 2-0
Second Round: Defeated Centre College 3-0
Sectional Semifinal: Defeated Loras College 2-1
Sectional Final: Eliminated Carnegia Mellon University in PKs, 11-10
Emory in National Team Statistics: 31st in win-percentage (0.795); 9th in goals-against average (0.416); 17th in shutout percentage (0.636)
Emory's Players in National Statistics: Charlotte Butker is 42nd in assists (10); Kaele Leonard is 12th in goals-against average (0.415) and 38th in save percentage (0.861)
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Scouting the Eagles: The Eagles make their first trip ever to the NCAA Final Four following a regulation defeats of DePauw, Centre, and Loras through the first three games of the tournament. A scoreless tie through 110 minutes of play in the Sectional Final versus Carnegie Mellon eventually ended in a marathon penalty kick shootout. The Eagles advanced 11-10 on PKs after 13 rounds off the foot of sophomore Jennifer Grant.
The Eagles offense has seen 15 goal scorers this season, including seven players with 10 or more points. Junior Veronica Romero (8g, 4a) and sophomore Charlotte Butker (5g, 10a) lead the Eagles in scoring. Emory's strength resides in a defense ranked ninth in the nation in goals against average (0.416). A goalkeeper tandem of Erica Stein and Kaele Leonard have provided dividends for the Eagles in their 14-1-7 season.
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