Nov. 5, 2008

For more information about the 2008 Patriot League Women's Soccer Tournament, including rosters and directions to Navy, please visit the 2008 Women's Soccer Championship Page by clicking the link below.

2008 Women's Soccer Championship Page

Center Valley, Pa.- The 2008 Patriot League Women's Soccer Tournament will begin this Friday at the U.S. Naval Academy. Friday's first semifinal game will feature No. 4 seed Colgate against No. 1 seed Navy, while the second game pits No. 3 seed Army against No. 2 seed Bucknell. The winner of each of the semifinal games will take to the pitch on Sunday afternoon for the Championship game at 1 p.m.

Women's Soccer Tournament Preview Release 11.5.08

No. 4 Colgate (7-10-1, 4-3-0) at No. 1 Navy (14-3-3, 5-0-2), 4 p.m.

The first semifinal game is a rematch of last week's final regular season matchup between Colgate and Navy, where the Mids came out victorious, 1-0, in Hamilton.

Colgate comes into Friday's semifinal with a 2-1 record in its last three Patriot League games. The Raiders are led by First-Team All-Patriot League selection junior midfielder Jillian Arnault, who finished the regular season 10th in the League in shots per game. Defensively, freshman goalkeeper Rebecca Michlin is third in the Patriot League in saves with 75 and has five shutouts this season. The Raiders also have the benefit of the veteran leadership of Head Coach Kathy Brawn, who has won 10 Patriot League titles at Colgate.

Navy enters the game as the only unbeaten team in Patriot League play, after going 5-0-2 in the regular season. The Mids hold the regular season Patriot League goals and points titles after scoring 38 goals and tallying 118 points. Defensively, the Mids are led by 2006 Patriot League Co-Defensive Player of the Year junior Shelly Moeller, who along with sophomore Carey Young and senior Julie Reynolds earned a combined seven Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors this season. Goalkeeper Lizzie Barnes had another stellar year in goal, earning a League-low 0.66 goals-against average.

No. 3 Army (11-5-2, 4-1-2) vs. No. 2 Bucknell (11-6-2, 5-2-0), 7 p.m.

The Black Knights and the Bison met earlier this season in Lewisburg, where First-Team All-Patriot League honoree freshman Dymon Washington scored the game-winning goal in Army's 1-0 victory over high-scoring Bucknell.

Picked to finish sixth in the 2008 preseason poll, Army defied the experts by making it to Annapolis for the Tournament. The Black Knights will rely heavily on Washington, who is first in the League for shots (68), tied for fourth in goals (7) and is fifth in points (17). Second-Team All-Patriot League selection Elizabeth Betterbed has helped Army give up only 16 goals all season, second only to Navy. Second-Team All-League goalkeeper Alex Lostetter is second in the League in goals-against average at 0.84.

Bucknell is looking to win its first Patriot League title since 2005. The Bison have a high-octane offensive unit, led by 2007 Offensive Player of the Year Jennifer Dervarics. Dervarics leads the League in points (30) and goals (12), but gets help from fellow 2008 First-Team All-League honoree Christa Matlack, who is tied for second in those categories. Bucknell's back line is led by 2006 Co-Defensive Player of the Year Nicole Marotta and sophomore Caitlin Holtz, two more First-Team All-Patriot League selections. Goalkeeper Kathryn Sutton will mind the net for Bucknell, which is tied for third in the League with seven shutouts this season.

For potential title game matchups, Army beat Colgate and tied Navy this season, while the Mids beat Bucknell in addition to their tie with the Black Knights. Bucknell earned a home victory against Colgate.

The 2008 Patriot League Women's Soccer Tournament will be streamed live for $9.95 via the Patriot League's All-Access Package. The commentary for the games will be provided by Navy commentators Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller. To access the Patriot League All-Access Package, please go to PatriotLeague.com, or click here.