GRANTHAM, Pa. - The defending National Champion Messiah women's soccer team will take the pitch on Saturday morning against the Virginia Wesleyan Marlins in Ewing, N.J. as they begin their Title defense. Joining the Falcons and Marlins this weekend are the Lions from The College of New Jersey and the Owls from Westfield State. Messiah and Virginia Wesleyan will square off in the First Round at 1:30 p.m. while TCNJ and Westfield State will battle at 11:00 a.m.
The winners of Saturday's games will compete at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Complete coverage of this weekend's events will be available at GoMessiah.com while the Weekend Homepage can be found at
tcnjathletics.com.
Please note, tickets are required for Admission to the NCAA First and Second Rounds. Tickets can be bought at the gate for the following admission prices: General Admission - $6, Senior Citizens - $3, Students - $3, Children (ages 3-12) - $2.
See below for a quick preview of the teams heading to Ewing:
The Falcons opened the season with a bang, defeating No. 2 William Smith by a 4-2 score on Shoemaker Field. After that season opening victory, Messiah earned a 1-1 draw in a closely-contested battled with top-five foe Johns Hopkins. The Falcons went 3-2-0 in their next five matches and held an overall record of 4-2-1 after a 3-1 loss to Misericordia on Sept. 25. Since that loss to the Cougars, Messiah has not allowed a goal, winning a dozen straight games in the process. During that stretch, Messiah claimed a MAC Commonwealth Championship with a 3-0 victory over York.
With this weekend's action the Falcons are making their 21st-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Messiah is one of the most decorated programs in Division III history with six National Championships, four Runner-Up finishes, and 13 total Final Four appearances in program history. The Falcons hold an overall record of 70-9-10 in the NCAA Tournament and have made the Tournament every season since 2000.
Players to Watch:
Brianna Seip - MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference
Kayla Herr - MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference
Rachael Tirjan - Second Team All-MAC Commonwealth
Lydia Watkins - Honorable Mention All-MAC Commonwealth
The Marlins won three-straight 1-0 games to claim the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship last week with victories over Roanoke, Washington & Lee, and Lynchburg. Virginia Wesleyan was strong in the conference this season, earning an 8-1-1 record, but struggled in non-conference action with a 2-4-1 record during the regular season. Three of those losses however came against ranked foes in McDaniel, Christopher Newport, and Centre.
This season, the Marlins won their conference for the first time since 2006, but have appeared in a total of 13 NCAA Tournament in their history, including 10 since their last conference Championship. Virginia Wesleyan has advanced to the Final Four one time in program history, back in 2006 when they fell to the eventual Champion Wheaton. In their 12 previous trips to the Tournament, the Marlins hold an overall record of 8-11-4.
Players to Watch:
Breacain McClenahan - Fr. - F - six goals, two assists, ODAC Rookie of the Year, First Team All-ODAC
Sam Crawford - Jr. D - one assist, ODAC Player of the Year, First Team All-ODAC
Kennedi Anders - Sr. - M - one goal, one assist, First Team All-ODAC
The Lions have been one of the top teams in the country for the entire season. TCNJ owns a 16-0-2 overall record with their draws coming against Johns Hopkins (ranked in the top-five Nationally) and Rowan in the NJAC Championship Game. Outside of those two matches, it's been a lot of victories for the Lions with an abundance of shutouts as well. On the season, TCNJ has allowed just four goals with two tallies coming from Johns Hopkins on Oct. 20. The only other teams to score on the Lions were Rowan and Montclair State, who both netted goals in 3-1 losses to TCNJ.
The Lions are a mainstay in the National Tournament, making their 29th all-time appearance in the Tournament in the last 30 seasons. TCNJ has missed only one Tournament (2004) since the 1991 season. All-time, TCNJ owns a 62-23-6 record in the NCAA Tournament with three National Championships (1993, 1994, 2000), four Runner-Up finishes, and 12 total Final Four appearances to their name.
Players to Watch:
Gianna Coppola - Jr. - M - six goals, one assist, NJAC Midfielder of the Year
Jess Hall - Sr. - D - NJAC Defensive Player of the Year
Alexandra Panasuk - Sr. - GK - 1529 minutes, 0.24 GAA, 22 saves, 0.846 save percentage, NJAC Goalkeeper of the Year
Ava Curtis - Fr. - D - one goal, two assists, NJAC Rookie of Year
Westfield State Owls
15-4-1, 8-0-0 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Champion
Team Homepage |
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
The Owls started the season with a 4-0 victory over Kean but went just 1-3-1 over their next five games. Another loss against Smith ended the month of September and has been their last setback of the season. Since then, the Owls have rattled off 10-straight victories, claiming the MASCAC Championship with a 1-0 victory over Worcester State last weekend. A potent offensive attack from the Owls is led by first year Delaney Parker's 31 goals. Jenn Rennich has added 14 tallies and 18 assists and the Owls average 3.90 goals per game.
The Owls are making their eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament after earning the Automatic Qualifier from the MASCAC. Westfield State have now advanced to the Tournament in three of the last four seasons. They hold a Tournament record of 0-7-1 in their previous seven trips, advancing on penalty kicks in 2011 against Stevens.
Players to Watch:
Delaney Parker - Fr. - F - 31 goals, eight assists, MASCAC Rookie and Player of the Year
Jenn Rennich - Sr. - F - 14 goals, 18 assists, First Team All-MASCAC
Jenna Hurlburt - Jr. - M - five assists, First Team All-MASCAC
