Defending Champions Face Bloomsburg (Pa.) University on Saturday

RINDGE, N.H. (November 13, 2000) - For the third time in four years, Franklin Pierce and Bloomsburg (Pa.) University will meet in women's soccer. This time, however, there is a lot more at stake.

The two teams face each other Saturday in Rindge (1 p.m., Crystal Field) in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II tournament. This is the third time the two programs have met; Franklin Pierce won regular-season meetings in 1997 (1-0) and 1999 (2-0).

Franklin Pierce (17-2-2) will be taking its second postseason step toward defending their national championship. The five-time champions opened Saturday by beating Southern Connecticut State University, 3-1, on the road in the first round.

"We wanted to have two games at home in the tournament, but we put ourselves in a hole during the regular season,'' Franklin Pierce Coach Jeff Bailey said. "It seems like we've come out of it, and this is where we want to be.''

Bloomsburg (16-3-1) moved on with a 2-0 win Sunday over Lock Haven (Pa.) University, avenging two previous losses this year to Lock Haven.

The Ravens, ranked 10th in the NSCAA Coaches Poll, have now won six straight games by outscoring their opponents 29-5 in that span.

The Huskies, ranked 12th, are coached by Sandy Dickson, who is in her third season. She has compiled a 47-10-4 record in her three seasons, leading the team one Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title and the program's two NCAA playoff appearances.

Leading the Huskies in scoring is Christine Krebs (South Hero, Vt.), who has 20 goals and five assists. Krebs is the program's all-time leader in goals (59) and points (136) and had both goals in Sunday's win over Lock Haven.

Alea Balthaser (Hamburg, Pa.), a junior forward who was named the PSAC Player of the Year and is a three-time all-conference player, had 11 goals and 31 points in 16 games. She missed four games during the regular season, but returned to play Sunday.

"They're a good team, they like to play football,'' Bailey said of the Huskies. "They're quick and, when we played them (1999), they were fairly young.''

The Ravens are led by All-America forward Minna Mustonen (Helsinki, Finland) andTanja Pihlblad (Lonsboda, Sweden), a pair of senior who have led the team with 19 and 16 goals, respectively. Junior midfielder Julia Uusmalmi (Tampere, Finland) is second on the team with 37 points, including 14 goals.

Tickets are $1 for children 12 and under, $4 for students and $6 for adults. For more information, call 899-4087.

Franklin Pierce IN NCAA Division II Tournament

1992: W, 3-2, Keene State (OT), quarterfinals; L, 3-2, Barry (OT), semifinals.
1993: L, 3-2, Cal Poly-SLO, semifinals.
1994: W, 2-1, Mercyhurst, semifinals; W, 2-0, Regis, championship.
1995: W, 8-0, Mercyhurst quarterfinals; W, 3-1, Sonoma State, semifinals; W, 5-0, Barry, championship.
1996: W, 4-0, Merrimack, quarterfinals; W, 2-0, St. Joseph's, semifinals; W, 1-0, Lynn, championship.
1997: W, N.H. College, 6-2, first round; W, 2-1, Adelphi (OT), quarterfinals; W, 4-3, Cal.-Dominguez Hills (OT), semifinals; W, 3-0, W.V. Wesleyan, championship.
1998: W, 4-0, AIC, first round; W, 5-0, C.W. Post, quarterfinals; L, 4-0, Lynn, semifinals.
1999: W, 3-1, Merrimack, first round; W, 3-1, Lock Haven, quarterfinals; W, 2-0, No. Kentucky, semifinals;
W, 3-1, Cal Poly Pomona, championship.
2000: W, 3-1, Southern Connecticut, first round; vs. Bloomsburg, quarterfinals.