Nov. 4, 2009
Center Valley, Pa.- The 2009 Patriot League Women's Soccer Tournament will begin this Friday at Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y. Friday's first semifinal game will feature No. 4 seed Navy against No. 1 seed Colgate, while the second game pits No. 3 seed Bucknell versus No. 2 seed American. The winner of each of the semifinal games will take to the pitch on Sunday afternoon for the Championship game at 1 p.m.
Patriot League Women's Soccer Championship Release 
2009 Patriot League Women’s Soccer Tournament
No. 4 Navy at No. 1 Colgate, Friday, 5 p.m.
Navy and Colgate will meet in a 2008 semifinal rematch. Last season, top-seeded Navy edged the fourth-seeded Raiders by a 1-0 count in overtime. This year, the seeds are reversed, with Colgate claiming the top position, while preseason favorite Navy is the No. 4 team in the tournament. A strong season was predicted for each squad. Navy was picked to win the Patriot League in the League’s preseason poll. Colgate, which actually had one more first-place vote than Navy, was picked second. Each team has a winning tradition. Colgate has won a League-best 10 Patriot League Championships. Navy is next in line with three. The two teams met during the first weekend of Patriot League play, ending in a scoreless draw.
Colgate, which started Patriot League play with an 0-1-1 mark, won its final five games, including an overtime win against Bucknell on the final weekend, to claim the top spot in the regular season standings. The Raiders entered the final weekend two points behind the Bison, but junior forward Anna Baldwin’s goal in the extra period gave Colgate a 2-1 win and the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament. As the top seed, Colgate will host the tournament at Van Doren Field, where it is 6-3-0 this season. Leading the Raiders offensively has been freshman Jillian Kinter, who has led the team with 11 points (four goals, three assists). Fellow freshman, Ashley Walsh, was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. The Raiders netminder has made a League-best 122 saves. She leads the Patriot League with 41 saves in Patriot League contests. She owns a 0.84 goals-against-average and six shutouts, including three shutouts in Patriot League games.
Navy is back in the tournament after hosting the event and finishing as runner-up a year ago. The Mids’ 16-game Patriot League unbeaten streak was snapped with a 3-1 loss to Bucknell on Oct. 17. Navy’s other Patriot League loss this season was a 3-0 setback at American. Prior to the Mids’ two League losses this season, Navy had allowed more than one goal to just 10 teams since the start of the 2006 season. Despite the loss of Lizzie Barnes, Navy has gotten stellar play in goal. In her first season as the full-time starter, senior Beth Reed has been named the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year and the Patriot League Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Reed leads the Patriot League with a 0.67 goals-against-average and nine shutouts, including four shutouts in Patriot League play.
No. 3 Bucknell vs. No. 2 American, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Bucknell and American will meet in the Patriot League Tournament for just the second time ever. The only other tournament meeting between the schools was in American’s first-ever Patriot League Tournament in 2001, a 2-1 Bucknell victory. The two teams met on the opening weekend of Patriot League play this season, with American claiming a 3-1 victory in Washington, D.C. Neither team lost a home Patriot League game this season, while both lost twice on the road in League play.
Under the direction of Patriot League Coach of the Year David Bucciero, American has improved from 5-10-4 and a fifth-place Patriot League finish a year ago to a 10-9 regular season mark this season. The Eagles won their first three Patriot League games en route to a 5-2 League record. Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Frederike Engel anchored a defensive unit that allowed just 0.89 goals per game. Engel and the Eagles held their Patriot League foes to just five goals.
Bucknell will attempt to counter American’s stingy defense with a potent offensive attack, led by Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Christa Matlack. The junior leads the Patriot League with 1.25 points per game. She scored a League-best 13 points and six goals in Patriot League contests.
Patriot League Championship, Sunday, 1 p.m.
Colgate recorded victories against each of its potential championship foes, American and Bucknell. Navy went 0-2 against the same two teams, with Bucknell and American each scoring three goals against the Mids.
Patriot League Notebook
2009 Patriot League Championship
The 2009 Patriot League Women’s Soccer Tournament returns to Hamilton, N.Y. for the first time since 2004. This year’s top seed and 10-time champion, the Colgate Raiders, welcome a trio of teams that includes American, Bucknell and Navy.
Chasing Another Tournament Title
Colgate, which is seeking its first Patriot League Championship since 2004, has not gone more than four consecutive seasons without a title.
Patriot League Champions Champions
Colgate leads the Patriot League in Championship titles with 10. Navy has three titles and Bucknell and 2008 champion Army each have two. American and Holy Cross each have one Patriot League crown.
Homefield Hopes
The Patriot League Tournament has been held 18 years, all of which have been hosted by the top seed in the tournament. Only five times has the top seed won the tournament. All five of those times, the championship was won by Colgate. Five of the Raiders’ 10 championships have come away from Hamilton, N.Y. The Raiders will be hosting the tournament for the eighth time since it was first held in 1991.
2009 NCAA Tournament
The winner of the 2009 Patriot League Championship will earn the League’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The Tournament will begin Nov. 13 at host sites and will conclude with the National Championship on Dec. 6 at College Station, Texas. The NCAA Selection Show will be Nov. 9 on ESPNews.
Patriot League Announces Major Awards
Navy’s Beth Reed received two honors from the Patriot League. She was named Goalkeeper of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Bucknell’s Christa Matlack was tabbed Offensive Player of the Year, while American’s Frederike Engel took Defensive Player of the Year honors. Engel’s coach, David Bucciero, was named Patriot League Coach of the Year. Colgate Goalkeeper Ashley Walsh was voted Patriot league Rookie of the Year, becoming the sixth different Raider to win the award.
2008 Championship Recap
The 2008 Patriot League Tournament provided plenty of action for soccer fans, as none of the three games ended in regulation. On the opening day of the Tournament, No. 1 seed Navy edged Colgate in overtime, 1-0. No. 3 seed Army outlasted No. 2 seed Bucknell in the other semifinal. After both teams remained scoreless through regulation and two overtime periods, Army advanced by defeating the Bison on penalty kicks, 5-4. Army then upset rival Navy in the Championship, defeating the Mids in double-overtime, 1-0. The Black Knights’ Sarah Goss was named the Patriot League Tourmament MVP.
Follow The Tournament With Patriot League All-Access
Fans unable to attend the 2009 Patriot League Tournament can catch all of the action on their computer, thanks to Patriot League All-Access. Live video will be streamed from Van Doren Field, bringing the action into fans’ homes. A monthly All Access pass can be purchased for $7.95. For more information, log onto www.patriotleague.org
Keep Track Of The Patriot League Tournament Through Social Media
In addition to visiting www.patriotleague.org, League fans and followers have plenty of new ways to stay updated and involved during the 2009 Patriot League Tournament. The Patriot League has accounts on Facebook and Twitter, and has now started a blog to give more information on the action on the field. All three accounts are accessible through the multimedia link at the right-hand sidebar on the front page of www.patriotleague.org.
Betterbed a Finalist for Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award
Army senior midfielder Elizabeth Betterbed is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in the women's soccer division. A nationwide voting process begins immediately and fans can vote online beginning today and ending Nov. 13 at www.seniorclassaward.com.To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - classroom, character, community and competition.
Team Notebooks
American recorded a resounding 3-0 victory over preseason favorite Navy, moving the Eagles into second place in the Patriot League standings. Ariana Efstathiou notched her sixth shutout of the season in the process. The second-seeded Eagles will begin their quest for American’s second-ever Patriot League Championship and first since 2002 when they open the Patriot League Tournament against third-seeded Bucknell on Friday.
Army will not get a chance to defend its 2008 Patriot League Championship. The Black Knights finished the Patriot League season in sixth place. Army closed out the season on a winning note with a 2-1 triumph over Holy Cross, Army’s 14 straight game against Holy Cross without a loss. Making just her third career start, Brittany Fearnside made 10 saves to pick up the win in goal. Fearnside was one of five seniors to play their final game at West Point.
Bucknell entered the week at the top of the Patriot League standings but fell to third thanks to a 2-1 overtime loss at Colgate. The loss snapped Bucknell’s five-game winning sterak. The Bison will return to Hamilton on Friday as the third seed in the Patriot League Tournament. Bucknell will meet second-seeded American in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m.
Colgate won its fifth straight game, a 2-1 overtime triumph over Bucknell. The win gave Colgate the top seed and hosting duties in the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2000. The Raiders own a League-best 10 Patriot League Championships and will be chasing their first since 2004. The Raiders have never gone more than four years without a League title.
Holy Cross closed the season with its third straight loss, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Army. The Crusaders maintained a winning record all season until finishing the year with three straight losses. Senior Shelby Stand finished the season with a League-leading 10 goals.
Lafayette dropped to 0-7, marking the Leopards’ third straight winless campaign in Patriot League play. Lafayette has one win in League play since the start of the 2004 season. The Leopards finished the 2009 season with a 1-0 defeat at rival Lehigh. Jill Dozier and Dana Moyer finished the season tied for the team-lead with five points apiece.
Lehigh finished the regular season with a 1-0 win against rival Lafayette. Senior Alex Warren converted a penalty kick in the 59th minute for her first career goal and the Lehigh defense pitched its ninth shutout of the season. With the victory Lehigh ends its season at 9-4-5 overall and 3-2-2 in the Patriot League.
Navy dropped into fourth place with a 3-0 loss at American. The Mids will take on top-seeded Colgate in the Patriot League Tournament on Friday. Navy has three Patriot League titles, the second most since the League began play in 1990. The Mids have won two of the last three Patriot League crowns.
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