Women's Soccer Set For First-Ever NCAA Tournament Appearance
Written by Joshua Soto (SJC-LI Sports Information)
Swarthmore, PA| The St. Joseph's College(L.I.) women's soccer team will make its first appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday, November 14 when they take on Swarthmore College in first round at 5 PM. The opening two rounds will be played on the campus of Swarthmore College.
The Golden Eagles claimed the Skyline Championship with a 2-1 win over Mount Saint Mary to earn a trip to the tournament on Saturday, November 7. St. Joseph's success started after defeating SUNY Old Westbury 5-0 in the first round of the Skyline Championships on October 31. SJC would advance to the semifinals to defeat Farmingdale St. 7-6 in penalty kicks on November 4, marking the first time that the Golden Eagles defeated Farmingdale in postseason play.
Chelsea Bellini, the standout forward, enters the tournament having scored 14 goals this season, which was the second most in a single season by a Golden Eagle. Bellini was also named the Skyline Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after tallying three goals for six points in three matches.
Leading the midfield is senior captain Jessica Cordano, who currently leads the squad with eight assists on the season. Fellow captains JoAnn Murino (Sr., defender) and Lauren Heschl (Sr., midfield), have provided strong leadership this season and spoke about their successes.
"We are extremely proud of our team for reaching every goal we set for this season. We are ecstatic that we have made the NCAA tournament for the first time ever. We couldn't have asked for a better group of girls to be here with. We are making history and exceeding all of our goals and expectations and are looking forward to playing this weekend."
Swarthmore College enters Saturday's match with a 16-2-1 record, securing at an-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Garnet are currently ranked No.10 in the NSCAA National Ranking, which is the highest in program history.
The Garnet is coming of a 2-1 double overtime loss to Johns Hopkins in the Centennial Conference Championship game last Sunday afternoon.
The Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year, Marin McCoy, has been an impact player for the Garnet this season, having tallied a team-high 38 points to establish a new program record.
Hannah Lichtenstein ranked third in the conference with 32 points on 11 goals and 10 assists. The junior forward started 16 games this season and recorded a point in 12 of those contests.
Goalkeeper Reba Magier is a four-year starter for Swarthmore and she currently has eight shutouts, a .909 save percentage (11th in Division III), and 0.31 goals-against average (13th in Division III) on the year. The senior captain was rock solid for the Garnet in net as they opened the season with a shutout streak of 725 minutes and became the last women's soccer team across all three NCAA divisions to concede a goal in 2015.
The Golden Eagles' first round match will take place at Clothier Fields. Kick-off is scheduled for 5:00 PM.
Live stats and live video will be provided throughout tournament play here.
