For Immediate Release
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November 11, 2001
South Easton, Mass. – Two Northeast-10 Conference schools will be in action today as the first round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship gets underway.
In East Region play, third-seeded Merrimack College (16-3-1) will be at the campus of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. to take on sixth-seeded Holy Family University(13-7-0) at 1:00 p.m. Meanwhile, opening kick for fourth-seeded University of Massachusetts Lowell (11-5-2) against No. 5 seed Dowling College (13-5-2) will be at 2:00 p.m. on the University of Bridgeport’s campus.
For Merrimack, who fell 5-1 to Saint Rose in the Northeast-10 Championship title game this past weekend, it will take on a Holy Family team that has outscored opponents 44-28 this season.
The Warriors counter with top scorers Jenna Zechner and Danielle Dion, who both have tallied eight goals apiece this season. Zechner also has three assists for 19 points while Dion has added two helpers for 18 points.
Katie Bresciani and Jenn Pino have each totaled four goals apiece for the Warriors, while Jamie Alnwick’s seven assists lead the team.
Jessica Peacock (pictured), who was recently voted the Northeast-10 Defensive Player of the Year, has three goals and three assists while anchoring a defense that has allowed just 19 goals in 20 games.
In goal, Kiley Horne started all 20 games for Warriors, posting a 16-3-1 record with nine shutouts. She has made 111 saves for a .860 save percentage and has a miniscule 0.91 goals-against average.
The winner of the matchup between Holy Family and Merrimack will face No. 2 seed Saint Rose on Sunday, Nov. 13.
For UMass Lowell, it will take on a Dowling team that has held opponents to just 1.05 goals per game in 2011.
The River Hawks have been led offensively Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year Brittany Russo. Russo leads the team with nine goals, which is five more than Keanna Santos, who is second on the team in that category. Maddy Bissaillon (pictured), a Northeast-10 First Team pick, has tallied two goals and six assists this season.
Hannah Merullo has anchored a strong backline this fall for the River Hawks, who have allowed just 12 goals in 17 games.
In goal, freshman keeper Jane Hatzikonstantis and sophomore Jill Carson have split playing time this season. Carlson has started nine games to Hatzikonstantis’ eight, while Carlson has gone 6-3-1 and Hatzikonstantis 5-1-1. The two have combined to allow just 0.68 goals per game, while Hatzikonstantis has given up just three goals in 715 minutes of action (0.38 GAA).
The winner will advance to take on top-seeded Bridgeport on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 12:00 p.m.
Click here to view the interactive NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament bracket.
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 5,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
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