Women's Soccer Semifinal Matchups Set for Friday
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. – The semifinal games of the MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship are set for Friday, November 7 on the campus of Monmouth University. As top seed heading into the weekend, the Hawks will host Fairfield, Niagara and Rider with the games being played on The Great Lawn.
Last year’s defending champion Monmouth earned the top-seed in the championship after recording a conference record of 9-1. The Hawks are led by 2013 MAAC Rookie of the Year Alexis McTamney and freshman forward Rachelle Ross.
Coming in second in the league, the Fairfield Stags will look to avenge last year’s championship loss. The Stags are averaging 2.05 goals per game and is led by senior Ashley Small. The Stags have not won a MAAC Championship since 2008.
Niagara is entering the semifinal match-up after a 1-0 win against the Canisius Golden Griffins in the opening round of the new six-team championship. Niagara’s defense is top of the league as the Purple Eagles have held its opponents to a mere .62 goals per game.
Rider earned the fourth seed in the MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship. The Broncs played the fifth seeded Siena Saints in the opening round of the championship and edged out a win, defeating the Saints with a 2-1 score. Bethnany May Howard has the best save percentage in the league in goal, recording a .840 percentage as netminder.
The 2014 MAAC Championship semifinals start Friday, November 7 with Fairfield facing Niagara at 4:00 p.m. followed by a meeting of Monmouth and Rider at 7:00 p.m.
The winners of each game will face-off in the championship final on Sunday, November 9 at 1:00 p.m. The winner will earn the MAAC’s automatic qualifier to the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
All three games can be seen live on MAAC.TV. Fans can follow along on social media by following @MAACSports and using the hashtag #MAACSoccer.