For Immediate Release
November 5, 2010
South Easton, Mass. – The College of Saint Rose has yet to lose a game in 2010, winning 20 in a row to this point. The Golden Knights will look to continue that trend this Sunday when they host Franklin Pierce in the Northeast-10 Conference Women's Soccer Tournament Championship Game.
The game will be broadcast live and can be seen at www.northeast10.tv
It should come as no surprise that Saint Rose and Franklin Pierce will square off against one another for the title, as the two squads have combined to account for each of the last ten Northeast-10 Conference postseason titles. Saint Rose defeated Franklin Pierce in last year's championship game, 2-1.
Saint Rose, by virtue of its 15-0 conference record, was awarded the top seed in the conference tournament. The Golden Knights have rolled through the tournament up to this point, defeating #8 New Haven 5-0 last Sunday, and dropping #4 American International College 4-0 last night. Saint Rose will be looking for their fourth consecutive conference tournament championship with a victory on Sunday.
Standing in Saint Rose's way is third-seeded Franklin Pierce. The Ravens stand at 14-4-1 overall following their semifinal win over #2 Merrimack last night, 4-2. In the quarterfinal round, Franklin Pierce knocked off #6 Adelphi 3-1. As a result of those two wins, Franklin Pierce earns the opportunity to take on Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. this Sunday at 1 p.m.
The two teams met in October, with Saint Rose taking a 1-0 decision in Rindge, N.H. The Golden Knights scored the game's only goal 31-minutes in to the action when junior midfielder Christina Cuffari scored from the left side of the box, firing a shot past Franklin Pierce's junior net minder, Jocelyn Leon. Saint Rose's senior goalkeeper Deanna Esposito had ten saves to preserve the shutout.
This Sunday's championship game will be a veritable who's who of All-Conference performers, as the Golden Knights and the Ravens combined to put fourteen players on All-Conference Teams, and four players on the All-Rookie Team. Saint Rose's squad also features the Conference Player of the Year in senior Amanda Deck; Defensive Player of the Year in senior Katie Whiting; and the Conference's Goalie of the Year in Esposito.
Saint Rose has used a balanced attack to ascend to the top of the conference and national standings. During their 20 consecutive wins to start the year, top-ranked Saint Rose has outscored their opponents 76-7. They have allowed only one goal in the first half during the campaign, and have posted a school-record fourteen shutouts.
Offensively, Saint Rose's 76 markers rank them among the best in the country in goals per game at 3.80 per tilt. The Golden Knights have scored five or more goals in a game eight times this season, including season-high eight strikes in a win earlier this year against Le Moyne College.
On the other side, Franklin Pierce appears to be playing their best soccer of the year at just the right time. The Ravens have won seven of their last eight games, and have scored ten goals over their past three games (all wins). They are capable of scoring in bunches, as well, as the Ravens had three games this year in which they scored five or more goals.
Saint Rose has gotten the better of this rivalry over the past few years, as they have not dropped a decision to Franklin Pierce during their last six match-ups (5-0-1). The latest reincarnation of this showdown between two of the premier women's soccer programs in the nation will determine the winner of the 2010 Northeast-10 Conference Tournament.
