Seven Northeast-10 Institutions Make Up Latest Women’s Soccer East Regional Ranking

Posted: Oct 27, 2011

For Immediate Release

October 27, 2011

South Easton, Mass. – Seven Northeast-10 Conference schools appeared in the second edition of the East Region Women's Soccer Poll, which was released on Wednesday. The seven schools occupy spots two through eight in the rankings, headlined by The College of Saint Rose second, the University of Massachusetts Lowell third, and Merrimack College fourth.

The Northeast-10 had eight teams represented last week in the first edition of the rankings.

Saint Rose (15-1-1, 12-1-1 NE-10), which has won the East Regional each of the last four seasons, was ranked third in the first poll edition before moving up to No. 2 this week behind only the University of Bridgeport.

The Golden Knights, currently ranked 16^th in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) poll, have outscored opponents 58-10 in 17 games on the season, while sporting three of the conference's top five top goal scorers in freshman Brittany Barry and sophomores Carmelina Puopolo and Sydney Bond.

UMass Lowell (10-4-2, 9-3-2 NE-10) moved up to the third spot this week, although it lost its second game in a row, 2-1, Wednesday night at Assumption College. Of the River Hawks' 16 games this season, all 16 have been decided by no more than a two-goal margin. They have allowed a mere 11 goals this season and also received votes in most recent NSCAA national poll.

Merrimack (14-2-1, 11-2-1) dropped two spots from last week's rankings to fourth in the second edition of the poll. The No. 15 Warriors had sat in first place in the Northeast-10 standings for much of the season before dropping two of three earlier in October. They have since however gone 3-0-1 in their last four contests, including a crucial 3-0 victory over Saint Rose on Oct. 15.

Four other Northeast-10 schools occupy the 5-8 spots following Merrimack in the Regional Rankings. They include, in order, Southern New Hampshire University (9-6-2, 7-5-2 NE-10), Stonehill College (9-6-2, 7-5-2 NE-10), Southern Connecticut State University (10-4-2, 8-4-2 NE-10), and Adelphi University (8-7, 7-7 NE-10).

This marks the second of three regional polls, all of which will be announced prior to the field being selected for the 2011 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship. The next poll will be released next Wednesday, November 2.

For the complete East Region rankings, see below.

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.

Women's Soccer East Region Rankings – October 26, 2011