MAAC Quarterfinals Set; 2 Games on ESPN3
MAAC Sports
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL -- The quarterfinal round of the 2013 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championship is set, with the league’s No. 1 thru No. 5 seeds in action after enjoying opening round byes.
At 11:00 a.m., No. 3 seed Iona will face No. 6 seed Siena, while 15 minutes later at 11:15, No. 2 seed Fairfield plays No. 10 Manhattan. At 2:00 p.m., No. 4 Marist takes on No. 5 Rider, and at 2:15, top-seeded Monmouth faces No. 9 Canisius. Both the Fairfield-Manhattan match, and Monmouth-Canisius contest, will be broadcast by ESPN3. Both semifinal round games, and the championship game, will also be broadcast by ESPN3.
Siena advanced to then quarterfinal matchup Iona with a 1-0 win over Saint Peter’s in the opening round, as the MAAC’s leading scorer, senior Brittany Pfaff, scored the match’s only goal. Pfaff now has 32 points and 13 goals on the season.
Iona won the regular season meeting between the two teams, 1-0 in OT on October 18, as senior Sofia Sanchez scored the deciding goal for the Gaels. The Gaels are now 7-7-4 overall and 6-2-2 in league play, and closed out the regular season with three consecutive wins.
No. 2 seed Fairfield, 11-6-1 overall and 7-2-1 in league play, won the only matchup with Manhattan this year, 2-0 win on Oct. 9. After a scoreless first half, Sarah Frassetto put the Stags on top less than two minutes into the second half, and Pam Coufos added an insurance goal in the 52nd minute.
Manhattan advanced to the quarterfinals with a 1-0 upset win over No. 7 seeded Quinnipiac in the opening round. The Jaspers will be looking to shake their jinx against Fairfield, as the Stags hold an all-time advantage of 21-1-3 against Manhattan.
The third quarterfinal pits No. 4 Marist faces No. 5 Rider. Marist, which won the MAAC Championship as recently as 2011 and was runnerup in last year’s title game, is 8-9-2 overall and 6-4 in the MAAC. The Red Foxes won the lone match between the two teams this year, 5-0 on October 5, as Rycke Guiney nailed a hat track and Jessica Farelli and Ashlee Burke added solo scores.
Rider claimed the No. 5 spot in the tournament finishing the regular season with a 4-1-1 record over its last six games. The Broncs are 8-7-1 overall and 5-4-1 in league play. Senior Jennifer Meier has enjoyed a fine season for Rider, and is second in points per game (1.47), third in goals (9) and ninth in assists (4).
The fourth quarterfinal contest features top-seeded Monmouth against No. 9 seed Canisius. The Hawks finished the regular season with an 8-0-2 record in the MAAC and 14-1-2 overall. The Hawks won this season’s matchup, 2-1, on Sept. 28, although they outshot the Golden Griffins 29-4 and forced Canisius goalkeeper Megan Tock to make 10 saves. Freshman forward Alexis McTamney scored what proved to the game winning goal, and also assisted on the Hawks first score.
Canisius, now 6-13-1, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over rival Niagara in the opening round. The Griffin took advantage of Katie Griffin’s goal in the 31st minute and held on of the victory.