Top-seeded Ravens to host NCAA New England Regional Championship on Saturday

RINDGE, N.H. (November 5, 2001) - The Franklin Pierce (20-0) women's soccer team, ranked No. 1 in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division II poll, begins its quest for a sixth National Championship this week as it will host the NCAA Division II New England Regional Championship on Saturday at Crystal Field.

The Ravens, who are the top seed in the region, will face the winner of Wednesday's first-round match between second-seeded and No. 13 Merrimack College and third-seeded Bryant College in North Andover, Mass., at 1:30 p.m. Admission to Saturday's match is $6 for adults, $4 for students and $1 for children 12 and under.

Franklin Pierce is coming off a 2-0 win over Merrimack in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship match on Sunday in New Haven, Conn. The victory was the 20th of the year for the Ravens, marking the fourth time in the last five years and sixth time in program history they have reached the 20-win plateau. A win on Saturday would match the school-record for wins in a season accomplished in 1997 and ‘98.

Franklin Pierce will begin its quest for an NCAA Division II record sixth national title on Saturday. However, just one of the Ravens five titles have come in the last three years after they claimed four-straight titles from 1994-97. Franklin Pierce has advanced to the NCAA semifinals nine-straight seasons entering this year's tournament.

Franklin Pierce is led on offense by 2001 Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year Patricia Keeldar (Amsterdam, Holland/Ter Leede), who leads the League with 67 points and 29 goals to go along with nine assists. Keeldar earned NE-10 Co-Player of the Week honors today as she totaled eight points with four goals in three NE-10 Tournament matches last week, including the gamewinner in Sunday's title match.

Juniors Angela Verdoes (Katwijk Aan Zee, Holland/Ter Leede) and April Mann (Brisbane, Australia/Saint Thomas More) rank right behind Keeldar among NE-10 scoring leaders with 47 and 44 points, respectively. Verdoes has dished a team-best 15 assists, which ranks second in the Conference, to go along with 16 goals. Mann has added 16 goals and 12 assists, both of which rank among NE-10 leaders.

Grad student Kim Higgins (Rochester, N.H./Spaulding) leads all Northeast-10 goalkeepers with a miniscule 0.39 goals against average, yielding just four goals in 931 minutes played. She has posted an 11-0 record with a .846 save percentage and seven shutouts this season.

Higgins earned NE-10 Co-Player of the Week honors on Monday after she recorded three-straight shutouts in goal for the Ravens in NE-10 Tournament action last week. She came up particularly huge in Sunday's Championship Match as she recorded four saves, including a pair early to keep Merrimack off the board. Higgins enters the NCAA Tournament boasting a string of 447 scoreless minutes.

Franklin Pierce has defeated both Bryant and Merrimack twice this season, outscoring the two teams by a combined 13-1 in four matches. The lone goal against came in the Ravens 5-1 win over Bryant at Crystal Field on September 29. Franklin Pierce claimed a 4-0 victory over the Bulldogs in Saturday's NE-10 semifinal round. Franklin Pierce claimed two 2-0 wins over Merrimack this fall, including Sunday's Championship match.

While Bryant is making its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, Franklin Pierce and Merrimack have met in NCAA Tournament play two previous times. The Ravens claimed wins over the Warriors in 1996 (4-0) and 1999 (3-1). Franklin Pierce leads the all-time series with Merrimack(16-2) and Bryant (5-0).

The winner of Saturday's NCAA New England Regional Championship will advance to face the winner of the Northeast Regional, hosted by top-seeded Lock Haven University this weekend. The NCAA Quarterfinal match will be played on Saturday, November 17, at a site to be announced on Monday. Lock Haven (17-3) will face the winner of Wednesday's match between Slippery Rock University (13-4) and Bloomsburg University (15-3-1) on Saturday.

2001 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship

New England Regional
Wednesday, November 7:
#3 Bryant College at #2 Merrimack College, 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 10:
Bryant/Merrimack winner at #1 Franklin Pierce College, 1 p.m.

NCAA Quarterfinal
Saturday, November 17:
New England Region winner vs. Northeast Region winner, TBA

NCAA Semifinal:
Friday, November 30

NCAA Division II Championship:
Sunday, December 2