2012 Regionals Homepage
Grantham, PA - After taking both games in last weekend's First and Second Rounds, the first-ranked Falcons advanced to the Sectionals of the NCAA Championships for the ninth consecutive time, furthuring their quest for their second-straight National Championship.
The Falcons advanced through the First Round via a
2-1 win over the visiting Roger Williams Hawks. Freshman Trishia Tshudy broke a 1-1 tie with her goal in the 77th minute to propel the Falcons to victory. With Grove City advancing to the second round after a win over Western Connecticut in Saturday's second contest, the Falcons awaited their first-ever postseason matchup with the Wolverines.
The Falcons scored two goals early in Sunday's matchup against the Wolverines-- one each from senior
Anne Trapp and junior
Emily Schneider--
en route to a convincing 3-0 win.
The wins propel Messiah into the Regional Semifinal and present an opportunity for them to play host to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lynchburg College, and Johns Hopkins University.
Here is a look at this weekend's teams on campus at Messiah College.
2012 NCAA Tournament Sectionals - Grantham, Pa. - Nov. 16-17, 2012
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#1 Messiah College Falcons |
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Location: Grantham, PA
Coach: Scott Frey (13th season, 272-14-13 career record)
2012 Record: 20-1-1 overall, 9-0 Commonwealth Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 13th
Last NCAA Appearance Result*: 2011 National Champions, 3-1 win over Wheaton
How the Falcons got here: The Falcons advance to the Sectionals by way of a 2-1 defeat of Roger Williams and a 3-0 win over Grove City in the first and second rounds, respectively. The Falcons entered the postseason as the overall No. 1 seed with a record of 18-1-1, recieving an automatic bid into the 2012 tournament following their sixth straight Commonwealth Conference Championship. Following their two opening win of the 2012 tournament the Falcons are currently 47-3-4 in NCAA postseason play.
Scouting the Falcons: Commonwealth Player of the Year Alex Brandt leads a strong Falcons' attacking core with 13 goals and 12 assists on the season. Brandt, Rachel Scheibeler and Alicia Frey have combined for 38 goals on the season for the Falcons. In the back line, the Falcons' goalkeeper Audra Larson leads the nation with a .267 goals against average allowing just six goals in 22 games played.
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineers |
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Location: Cambridge, MA
Coach: Martin Desmaris (5th season, 60-24-12 career record)
2012 Record: 14-3-3, 8-1 NEWMAC Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 3rd
Last NCAA Appearance Result*: 2011 First Round, Eliminated in PKs by Skidmore
How the Engineers got here: The Engineers narrowly escaped First Round opponent Haverford, taking a 0-0 tie through two periods of regulation to advance on PKs 4-2. In the Second Round matchup, MIT needed more than the alotted 90 minutes of play again, tallying the winning goal in the first minute of the second overtime, sending the Engineers to their first-ever Third Round appearance. The Engineers entered into the 2012 tournament via at-large bid after falling in the NEWMAC semifinal game.
Scouting the Engineers: Senior Emily Kuo (13g, 1a) leads the Engineers in scoring as the only player on the roster to post more than four goals. Kuo tallied MIT's only goal against TCNJ in their 2OT win in the Second Round. Junior Samantha Fleischmann (3g, 6a) has established herself as a ball distributor, contributing a team-high six assists on the season. Goalkeeper Meghan Wright has played every minute of the Engineers' 20 games this season, surrendering just 13 goals and posting nine shutouts.
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#5 Lynchburg College Hornets |
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Location: Lynchburg, VA
Coach: Todd Olsen (19th season, 305-79-41)
2012 Record: 21-0-3 overall, 9-0-3 ODAC Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 13th
Last NCAA Appearance Result*: 2011 First Round, Eliminated in PKs by New Paltz
How the Hornets got here: The Hornets, currently ranked fifth in the nation, come to Grantham after beating Frostburg St. 1-0 in the First Round and sending Montclair St. home in the Second Round via a 2-0 win. Lynchburg enters the Sectionals of the 2012 playoffs having not lost a single contest this season (they have tied three times). The Hornets received an automatic bid into the 2012 NCAA Championships after a 2-0 win over Bridgewater College in the ODAC Championship game. Lynchburg is making their 6th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the 13th overall under long-time coach Todd Olsen.
Scouting the Hornets: Astoundingly, the Hornets have two players with 20 or more goals on the season. Junior Angela Bosco (22g, 16a) and sophomore Dessi Dupuy (26g, 6a) have combined for 118 points on the season. Dupuy is tied for the second-most goals in the nation with 26. Freshman Morgan Singer also contributes on the offensive side of the field for the Hornets, tallying 12 goals of her own over the season. Lynchburg boasts the fourth-best offense (4.25 GPG) and defense (.320) in the country.
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Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays |
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Location: Baltimore, MD
Coach: Leo Weil (21st season, 285-97-29)
2012 Record: 17-4-1 overall, 9-1 Centennial Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 11th
Last NCAA Appearance Result*: 2011 Third Round, 2-0 loss to Amherst
How the Blue Jays got here: For the eighth straight year the Blue Jays entered NCAA postseason play in 2012, this time via at-large bid after losing in the Centennial Conference Championship game 2-1. The Blue Jays rebounded convincingly after the Conference Championship loss, advancing through rounds one and two by a combined score of 9-2 over Lancaster Bible College and Rowan University. Head coach Leo Weil leads his Blue Jays' team into the Third Round for the fifth straight season.
Scouting the Blue Jays: The Blue Jays are fueled by their attacking line, led by sophomore Hannah Kronick's 24 goals and eight assists-- both team highs. Kronick's 58 points is a mark that is eighth-best in the nation. Behind Kronick, the Blue Jays have 16 players with recorded points over the course of the season, although fellow sophomore Sydney Tang is the only player besides Kronick to post double digit goals for JHU this season.
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*Note: "Last NCAA Appearance Result" refers to the results prior to this season
