COMPLETE NCAA BRACKETWATCH THE SELECTION SHOWMONTCLAIR STATE TOURNAMENT WEBSITESWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Swarthmore College women's soccer team will trek to Montclair, N.J. to face Connecticut College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Montclair State's Pittser Field. The Garnet, who are making their first-ever appearance, and Connecticut College will be joined by Montclair State and Lesley at the host site for the first two rounds.
Swarthmore (13-6-1) claimed its first Centennial Conference Tournament title by avenging three regular-season losses to league opponents. The Garnet were the first fifth seed to win the crown and will make their inaugural NCAA Tournament appearance after defeating Muhlenberg 1-0, #19 nationally-ranked Gettysburg 1-0 and prevailing 5-4 in a shootout against #22 nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins after playing to a 2-2 double-overtime tie yesterday in the title match. Swarthmore has also benefited from what is arguably its most challenging schedule in school history. The Garnet have faced five nationally-ranked opponents, a program high, and have played five of their 19 matches against teams in the NCAA Tournament field.
Offensively, the Garnet have set a single-season school record by scoring 48 goals to date this fall thanks to a balanced attack. Senior
Emma Sindelar, the program's all-time leader in every major scoring category, along with sophomores
Hannah Lichtenstein and
Mele Johnson have all found the back of the net nine times. Eleven players have scored this season, while the five goals in the three Centennial Conference Tournament matches have come from five different players. Sindelar and Lichtenstein also rank second and third in the league in scoring with 25 and 24 points, respectively, while junior
Melissa Trofa has eight assists.
On the defensive end, Swarthmore's back line has been anchored by senior
Ellen Bachmannhuff, junior
Amanda Bosworth, senior
Elyse Tierney and sophomore
Katherine Zavez with several other players such as juniors
Emily Telford-Marx and
Aine Schanche making valuable contributions. The Garnet have blanked 11 opponents and have allowed one goal or less in 16 of their 19 matches. Between the pipes, Centennial Conference Tournament MVP
Reba Magier enters the weekend with six shutouts, an .833 save percentage and a n 0.69 goals against average.
Connecticut College (15-2-1) has a resume that is nearly a mirror image of Swarthmore. The Camels earned the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) automatic bid by winning their first tournament title yesterday over #6 nationally-ranked Williams College and prevailing 4-3 in a shootout. Before playing Williams to a 1-1 tie through two overtimes, the squad earned tournament victories over Trinity and #14 nationally-ranked Bowdoin by 3-0 and 1-0 decisions, respectively. The Camels will also be making their second NCAA Tournament appearance and first since advancing to the national quarterfinals in 1998.
Freshman Michelle Medina and senior Astrid Kempainen headline an offense which averages 2.44 goals per match. Medina has 22 points on eight goals and six assists, while Kempainen has five goals and nine helpers for 19 points through 18 matches. Sophomore goalkeeper Bryanna Montaivo has played every minute this season and boasts an .890 save percentage to go along with an 0.55 goals against average and 11 shutouts. The Camels success is due in large part to having one of the most improved defenses in the country. With junior Morgan Cowie-Haskell anchoring the back line, the Camels have a team goals against average of 0.55 this season compared to 1.70 in 2013.
Montclair State's Pittser Field is one of 16 host sites for the first and second rounds that are taking place on Nov. 14-16. All of the sites will use a single-elimination format. Sixteen second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites on Nov. 21-23, and the winners of the four sectional sites will advance to the national semifinals on Dec. 5. The final will take at the Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Mo. on Dec. 6.
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Saturday, Nov. 15Game One: No. 8 Montclair State vs. Lesley, 5:00 p.m.
Game Two: Connecticut College vs. Swarthmore, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 16Game Three: Winner of Game One vs. Winner of Game Two, 5:00 p.m.
