#7 Franklin Pierce Set to Face #3 UC San Diego at Final Four
Battle of perennial NCAA women's soccer powers to take place Thursday at 8 p.m.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (December 3, 2003) - Two programs that have had significant success over the last decade or so in the world of NCAA women's soccer are set to battle in the second of two NCAA Division II women's soccer semifinal matches at the 2003 Final Four at the Virginia Beach SportsPlex on Thursday.
Franklin Pierce (21-2), ranked No. 7 in the final regular season National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, will face No. 3-ranked UC San Diego (18-2-1) on Thursday at 8 p.m. No. 2-ranked Kennesaw State (Ga.) University (23-1) will face unranked University of Nebraska-Omaha (17-3-2) to kickoff the Final Four on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
The winners of the two matches will battle for the National Championship on Saturday, December 6, at 6 p.m.
Franklin Pierce advanced to its record 12th-consecutive Final Four with a 2-1 victory over No. 4-ranked Adelphi University on Sunday, November 23. UC San Diego reached its 14th Final Four (Division II & III combined) with a 3-2 victory over top-ranked Metro State (Colo.) University that afternoon as well. The two programs have combined to win11 National Championships since 1994. Franklin Pierce has won five Division II titles (1994-97 & '99), while UCSD won four Division III crowns (1995-97 & '99) before winning back-to-back titles in its first two seasons at the Division II level (2000 & 2001). The Titans and Ravens rank second and third, respectively, in the world of NCAA women's soccer in total Final Four appearances only to Division I power North Carolina, which is participating in its 22nd Final Four this weekend.
Thursday will mark the second meeting all-time between the two programs, with both coming in the NCAA semifinals. UC San Diego posted a 2-1 overtime victory over the then defending National Champions from Franklin Pierce in 2000 in Miami Shores, Fla. The Tritons scored first that day as Cindy Dostelak netted a goal just 5:45 into the match. Former Franklin Pierce All-American Minna Mustonen sent the match to overtime with a score in the 88th minute, but UCSD got the winner 4:34 into the first overtime as Erika Alfredson scored after assisting on the Tritons first goal.
Franklin Pierce is led by the offensive duo of junior All-American and two-time Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year Meghan Welcome (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) and sophomore Laura Hislop (Belfast, Northern Ireland). The pair have accounted for 146 of the team's points this season, including 57 of their 84 goals scored on the season. They have also netted 17 of the Ravens 21 match-winning goals.
Hislop leads Division II with 83 points and 23 assists, while her 30 goals rank second in the nation. Her 83 points is the seventh-highest single-season total in NCAA Division II history and is already good for 13th on the College's career scoring list. Hislop's 23 assists are just one shy of former Raven All-American Angela Verdoes' single-season record of 24 set in 1999 and is tied for the fifth-highest single-season total in Division II history.
The first-team All-Northeast-10 Conference selection has stepped up her game in the postseason, totaling 25 points on 11 goals (four match-winners) and three assists through six postseason matches (includes Conference tournament). Hislop has totaled nine points with four goals and an assist in the Ravens three NCAA Tournament games so far. She has also totaled 16 points with six goals and four assists in six games against ranked opponents.
Welcome ranks second only to Hislop among Conference leaders with 63 points and 27 goals, while her nine assists rank third on the team. Her ten match-winning strikes lead the Ravens.
Welcome has set nearly every scoring record at the College for US-born players as her point and goal totals from this season have surpassed her record totals of 46 points and 20 markers in 2002. She ranks sixth in program history with 128 career points and 54 career goals, both of which are highest in program history for American players.
Welcome has totaled 16 points with five goals (two match-winners) and six helpers in five postseason games this season, including a goal and assist for three points in the NCAA Tournament. Against ranked teams this fall, she has totaled seven goals (three winners) and an assist for 15 points.
The quarterback of the Ravens offense all season long has been sophomore midfielder Sonya Hughes (Balbriggan, Ireland). She has totaled 32 points this fall with seven goals and 18 assists, which ranks second only to Hislop in the NE-10 and is tied for the 15th-highest single-season total in Division II history.
Hughes has also been a major postseason contributor with 14 points on four goals and six assists, including three goals and three assists for nine points in three NCAA Tournament matches. The second-team All-Conference pick has registered two goals and six assists for ten points against ranked teams.
Rounding out the Ravens offensive leaders is freshman Alex Scavo (Markham, Ontario/Brother Andre) with 18 points on seven goals (two match-winners) and four assists. However, the three-time NE-10 Freshman of the Week has not registered a point since her winning goal at Bryant on October 8 - a string of 11 matches.
The backbone of the Ravens defense, which is tops in the Northeast-10 this season, is senior goalkeeper Aase Kibsgaard (Korgen, Norway) who boasts a 0.77 goals against average and .792 save percentage with seven shutouts this season. The two-time All-Conference selection ranks third in program history with a 0.69 career goals against average, while her 15 career shutouts are good for fifth all-time.
Also spearheading the Ravens defense is junior co-captain Martta Makila (Vantaa, Finland), an All-NCAA Tournament selection last year, who has also totaled nine points with three goals and three assists this year. She teams with senior Alison Considine (Needham, Mass./Needham), an All-NE-10 pick this fall, and freshmen Kristen Lake (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) and Mia Makarainen (Espoo, Finland).
UC San Diego, in search of its seventh National Championship overall, features a balanced offensive attack. Eight Tritons have totaled ten or more points on the season and the team is yielding just 0.89 goals per contest, while scoring at a 2.98 goals per match rate.
Senior Kristen Jones (Oceanside, Calif./Oceanside) leads the UCSD offense with 31 points, ten goals and 11 assists. Freshman Kelly Cochran (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake) has made an immediate impact with 22 points on eight goals and six assists, while senior Kristen Conahan (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) has added 20 points with nine goals and two assists. Conahan also leads the team with four match-winning goals this season.
Senior goalkeeper Kami Poma (Redlands, Calif./Redlands) has seen the majority of minutes in goal this season and has posted a 0.85 goals against average and .836 save percentage with four shutouts.
2003 NCAA DIVISION II
WOMEN'S SOCCER FINAL FOUR
Virginia Beach SportsPlex (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Semifinals
Thursday, December 4
Nebraska-Omaha (17-3-2) vs. #2 Kennesaw State (23-1), 5:30 p.m.
#3 UC San Diego (18-2-1) vs. #7 Franklin Pierce (21-2),
8 p.m.
Championship
Saturday, December 6
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m.