Colgate Opens NCAA Tournament Friday at No. 16 Penn State - PatriotLeague.org

Colgate Opens NCAA Tournament Friday at No. 16 Penn State
Raiders Looking For Second NCAA Victory In School History

Colgate's Anna Baldwin

Nov. 12, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--For the fifth time in school history, the Colgate women's soccer team will compete in the NCAA Tournament. The Raiders will travel to No. 16 Penn State for a Friday night showdown. The winner will meet either St. John's or Virginia.

Patriot League Women's Soccer Release 11.12.09

Colgate at No. 16 Penn State
Friday, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m.
Jeffrey Field, State College, Pa.

The Colgate Raiders will open the 2009 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament against host Penn State. Colgate qualified for the NCAA Tournament by winning its 11th Patriot League Championship. The Raiders defeated American, 1-0, in double-overtime on Sunday in Hamilton, N.Y.

The Raiders will be making their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and their first since 2004. Colgate is 1-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches, with the Raiders' lone win coming in a 2004 upset of Arizona.

Colgate enters the NCAA Tournament having won seven straight matches. The Raiders are 11-6-3 overall and finished the Patriot League regular season with a 5-1-1 mark.

Colgate is led by Patriot League Tournament MVP Jillian Arnault. The senior has three goals and one assist. Freshman Jillian Kinter paces the Colgate attack. She has produced four goals and three assists. Patriot League Rookie of the Year Ashley Walsh has been the Raiders’ anchor in goal. The freshman has played all 19 games. She has allowed just 16 goals while collecting seven shutouts.

The Nittany Lions have won or shared the past 12 Big Ten titles and enter the NCAA Tournament with a record of 12-5-2. The winner of the Colgate/Penn State contest will face either Virginia (9-5-5) or St. John's (13-6-1).

Patriot League teams have met Penn State three times in the NCAA Tournament, losing all three. It is Colgate’s first NCAA meeting against the Nittany Lions.

Patriot League Notebook

2009 Patriot League Championship

Colgate won its League-best 11th Patriot League Championship, defeating Navy and American in the Patriot League Tournament. Jillian Arnault was named the Patriot League Tournament MVP. It was the Raiders’ first title since 2004.

This Looks Familiar

All three games at the 2009 Patriot League Tournament ended in the same score, 1-0. It was just the second time that all three games ended with identical scores. The last time was in 2002, when all three contests concluded with 2-1 scores.

Are Nittany Lions Related To Wildcats

Colgate, which will be appearing in its fifth NCAA Tournament, holds the Patriot League’s lone NCAA Tournament victory. The Raiders scored an upset win over Arizona in 2004 during Colgate’s last trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Homefield Highs

The Patriot League Tournament has been held 19 years, all of which have been hosted by the top seed in the tournament. Entering this season, the top seed had won the tournament only five times. Colgate recorded the sixth such occurrence this season. All six of those times, the championship was won by Raiders. Five of the Raiders’ 11 championships have come away from Hamilton, N.Y.

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 NCAA Recap

The 2008 Patriot League champion Army Black Knights fell to No. 16 Virginia, 2-0, in the first round of the NCAA Women's College Cup. The loss marked the final game for Army Head Coach Gene Ventriglia, who retired following the season. The Black Knights' Second-Team All-Patriot League goalkeeper Alex Lostetter made six saves and allowed two goals in the loss, as Army was outshot 22-1 by the Cavaliers.

Keep Track Of The Patriot League 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 postseason. 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 Friday 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.