And then there were four.
UCSD, Northern Kentucky University, Franklin Pierce College, and Christian Brothers University women’s soccer teams surpassed the other competition and will gather at Triton Soccer Stadium to compete in the 2001 NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship.
Semifinal action begins Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. with the Franklin Pierce Ravens squaring off against the Christian Brothers Lady Buccaneers. That action will be followed by the 7:30 p.m. game between the UCSD Tritons and the Northern Kentucky Norse. The winners will advance to the championship game Dec. 2 at 1 p.m.
Hosting the division championship is the latest achievement of the many great feats of the UCSD women’s soccer team. From 1989 to 1999, head coach Brian McManus led the Division III Tritons to five national titles. In his 15 years as UCSD’s head coach, McManus boasts a 256-29-18 record.
Last year, UCSD moved up to Division II and became the first NCAA team, in any sport, to win back-to-back championships while moving up in divisional status.
While many team members think that competing in the 2001 NCAA Division II Championship at home is an advantage to the Tritons, McManus lacks enthusiasm about the location of the tournament.
“”Playing at home is good in some ways, but I feel that there is added pressure on the team simply because we are hosting the tournament,”” McManus said. “”We normally do very well in Final Four competitions when we travel because all of the girls’ attention is on soccer. Here, there are many unnecessary distractions that wouldn’t be issues if we traveled to play.””
Freshman midfielder Christine Kwon and sophomore defender Christine Wensel think that having home field advantage will only aid the Triton squad.
“”It takes a lot out of players to travel, so being able to play on our own field that we are familiar with is a great physical advantage,”” Kwon said. “”The support that we get and the energy of the crowd really bring in the pressure and excitement. Our team performs well when we are in the spotlight — we play to win.””
Wensel agreed.
“”We get the support of our family and friends,”” Wensel said. “”Also, having hundreds of fans behind us cheering us on really helps the team’s intensity and we pick up [our] level of play.””
The fifth-ranked Tritons enter the Final Four with a regular season record of 19-2 and have not lost a postseason game since 1998. UCSD secured the California Collegiate Athletic Association title earlier this year before advancing to the playoffs. In the 2001 NCAA tournament so far, all opponents are scoreless against UCSD. The Tritons beat Cal Poly Pomona 1-0 and overpowered Incarnate Word 2-0 to earn a berth to the NCAA Semifinal match.
Senior defender Julia Cuder, the CCAA Most Valuable Player for 2001, and sophomore goalie Kami Poma, who recorded 80 saves this season, led the Triton defense. The Tritons have only allowed eight goals in 21 games and have not allowed more than one goal in any game this season.
Senior forward Erika Alfredson (15 goals, 7 assists), sophomore forward Kristin Jones (8 goals, 7 assists) and sophomore midfielder Megan Mendoza (8 goals, 5 assists) drive the UCSD offensive attack. Despite their apparent dominance, the Tritons are keenly aware of their competition.
“”We are confident in our ability as a team, but we know we are still defending our title,”” Kwon said.
Three out of the four teams participating in this year’s tournament appeared in the 2000 NCAA Championship tournament and are back with a vengeance, trying to capture the national title.
“”Our team is well-prepared to face the fierce competition coming our way,”” Kwon said. “”We are a strong team and we have faced the competition before and know what we need to do to get [ourselves] mentally and physically prepared.””
In a rematch of the teams in the 2000 championship game, UCSD will again attempt to knock off the fourth-ranked Northern Kentucky Norse.
Northern Kentucky enters Friday’s semifinal match with a 22-1 record. After claiming their fourth straight Great Lakes Valley Conference crown, the Norse defeated Ashland 4-0, Mercyhurst 2-1, and Truman State 2-0, en route to the semifinals. After barely losing the Division II championship game last year to UCSD, Northern Kentucky looks toward a more fulfilling culmination to its substantial 2001 season.
Throughout his five years as head coach at Northern Kentucky University, Bob Sheehan has compiled a 80-20-5 record. Betsy Moore, the GLVC Player of the Year and a two-time All-American, leads the Norse with 18 goals and 17 assists on the year, including five goals in 2001 postseason play. Junior goalkeeper Megan Zalla and senior defenders Amanda Trout and Eva Broeg lead the sturdy Northern Kentucky defense.
“”Northern Kentucky will definitely challenge us,”” Wensel said. “”We dominated the game last year, but this year they know our playing style. [The game] will come down to who wants it the most.””
In the other semifinal match, the second-ranked Christian Brothers Lady Buccaneers from New Hampshire will challenge the top-seeded Franklin Pierce Ravens of Tennessee.
The Lady Buccaneers are the highest-ranked team, in any sport, in Christian Brothers University history. They enter this year’s NCAA Division II Championship tournament with an unblemished record of 21-0. The Lady Buccaneers scored an NCAA record 162 goals in the 2001 season, shattering the previous record by 33 goals.
Christian Brothers advanced to the semifinal match with a first-round bye followed by a second-round win over Barry University 3-1, and an overwhelming 7-1 win over North Florida in the quarterfinals last weekend. Gareth O’Sullivan led the Lady Buccaneers to an incredible season this year, culminating regular season play by winning the Gulf South Conference championship.
GSC Player of the Year, junior forward Missy Gregg, notched an NCAA-record 72 goals on the season, breaking that of the previous record of 45 goals in a single season. Besides having 16 hat tricks, Gregg has scored at least one goal in every game this year and has already tied the NCAA tournament record with six goals.
Fellow junior forward Margaret Saurin, who recorded 23 goals and 29 assists on the season, will also be a scoring threat in the Buccaneers’ quest for the national title. Junior goalie Jennifer Simon and freshman defender Veronica Botold direct the fierce Buccaneer defense, which has only allowed 11 goals this season.
Christian Brothers University has championship potential and the Buccaneer team is determined to bring its “”A”” game in order to overtake its competitors.
The undefeated, first-ranked Franklin Pierce Ravens hope to add a national title to their season. The Ravens are the most dominant team in Division II women’s soccer history with five national championship titles, including four consecutive championships from 1994 to 1997. The 2001 Ravens squad captured the Northeast 10 Conference title at the conclusion of regular season play and then continued to beat both Merrimack 2-1 and Lock Haven 1-0 in overtime. The 22-0 Ravens make their 10th straight tournament and semifinal appearance this year.
Since taking the helm at Franklin Pierce College in 1996, head coach Jeff Bailey continues a long tradition of success and has since compiled a 120-6-2 record.
The Ravens offense is led by junior forwards Patricia Keeldar (30 goals, 10 assists), April Mann (17 goals, 13 assists), and Angela Verdoes (16 goals, 15 assists). This explosive offensive trio has outscored its opponents 100-17. Senior goalkeeper Kim Higgins (26 saves) anchors the steady Raven defense and has recorded 11 shutouts this year.
The final four teams combined have an overall 84-3 record and UCSD head coach McManus knows that the competition this year is intense.
“”Christian Brothers is the favorite to win it all,”” McManus said. “”Franklin Pierce is picked to finish second, and then it is a toss-up between Northern Kentucky and us. But, we are going to play the upcoming matches just like we’ve played every other game and will hope that it is good enough for us to come out on top.””
The Tritons look forward to superb competition and a high level of play in the NCAA Division II Championship.
“”Like our coach says,”” Wensel said, “”we are the champions so we are the team to beat. As long as we play our game, no team in Division II can beat us.””
