Conference

Lock Haven and Rider Make Way onto Guest List:  The two teams who squared off in each of the past two Northeast Conference Tournament finals have made their way back to the postseason.  Both picking up two wins last week and remaining undefeated in NEC play, Lock Haven (7-0) and Rider (6-0) clinched NEC Tournament berths.  The Haven has qualified for, and won, the four-team postseason tournament every year since it became eligible in 2006.  Meanwhile, Rider extended its string of 10 consecutive NEC Tournament berths.  Monmouth (3-3) and Quinnipiac (3-3), who are tied for third in the NEC standings, currently occupy the final two spots.

 

Bryant went 2-0 on the week, taking a 3-1 win over Siena (Oct. 23) before blanking Quinnipiac (Oct. 25), 2-0. … Senior goalkeeper Kundayi Mawema (Harare, Zimbabwe) made 13 saves and allowed just a single goal over 140:00 duration. She posted her third shutout of the season against Quinnipiac.  … Sophomore Aly Czerniak (Holyoke, MA/Smith Academy), sophomore Courtney Landi (Kingston, NY/Kingston), and senior Danielle Moody (Gorham, ME/Gorham) each recorded a goal and an assist on the two-win week, while senior Tia Pydynkowski (Hampton Falls, NH/Winnacunnet) and junior Elise Boissoneau (Asburnham, MA/St. Bernard's Central) also tallied goals. … Freshman defender Rachel Blitz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield) had a big game against Quinnipiac, coming up with two defensive saves.  She has a team-leading three defensive saves this season.

 

Lock Haven won its 13th straight match by defeating Monmouth (Oct. 25), 5-1, to cap a 2-0 week. The Lady Eagles defeated Sacred Heart (Oct. 23), 3-1, two days prior.  … The two wins guaranteed Lock Haven an opportunity to play for a fourth consecutive Northeast Conference Tournament title.  The three-time defending NEC champion Lady Eagles have won 31 consecutive matches against league opponents. … Senior Mary Keister (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) led LHU over the two-game span with two goals and two assists. … LHU has just one game left on its regular season schedule.  The Haven must travel to Rider (Nov. 1) where the NEC regular season title will be on the line. LHU is looking for its sixth straight regular season crown and is 7-1 all-time vs. Rider. … On the year, junior forward Amy Hordendorf (Topton, PA/Brandywine Heights) leads the Lady Eagles with a team-high 22 goals. She also has four assists for a team-high 48 points.

 

Monmouth took an early 1-0 lead on defending Northeast Conference champion Lock Haven in its only game of last week, but surrendered five unanswered goals in an eventual 5-1 defeat.  … Sophomore Elly Rosati (Ephrata, PA/Ephrata) tallied her first goal of the season off a short corner pass from red-shirt senior Enza Mazza (Oceanport, NJ/Shore Regional) to opened the scoring against Lock Haven. … Junior goalie Melissa Katz (Tinton Falls, NJ/Monmouth Regional) led the Blue and White defensively with seven saves on the afternoon. … MU returns to the field in Smithfield, Rhode Island where they face Bryant (Oct. 30).

 

Quinnipiac suffered a pair of setbacks to regional rivals.  The Bobcats fell, 2-1, to Yale (Oct. 22) in non-conference action before falling at NEC foe Bryant (Oct. 25), 2-0. ... The Bobcats currently sit in a tie for third-place in the NEC standings and occupy one of the last two remaining NEC Tournament berths.  Their final two regular season games will decided their fate.  Quinnipiac hosts Robert Morris (Oct. 30) and Saint Francis (PA) (Nov. 1).

 

Rider went 2-0 this past week, recording a pair of Northeast Conference road wins. The victories guarantee the Broncs their 10th straight trip to the NEC Tournament. ... Senior Lyndsie Johnson (Gibbsboro, NJ/Eastern) recorded a pair of shutouts to set a Rider single-season record (9). … The Broncs scored a 4-0 victory at Robert Morris (Oct. 23). Sophomore Virginia Egusquiza (Getxo, Spain) logged three assists in the contest.  Junior Margaret Ecke (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt) and sophomore Megan Pisani (Plainsboro, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro) each scored twice for Rider. … Egusquiza scored the game-winner, her fourth GWG of the season, in a 1-0 overtime victory at Saint Francis (PA) (Oct. 25). She has points in eight of her last nine games. ...  The Broncs' 10 shutouts this season best a the previous program record that was set by the 2004 NEC champion squad. ... The Broncs host Siena (Oct. 30) before welcoming the defending NEC champion Lady Eagles of Lock Haven (Nov. 1) in the regular season finale.

 

Robert Morris suffered a 4-0 loss to Rider (Oct. 23) in its lone action of the week. ... The Colonials close out their regular season schedule this upcoming weekend in Connecticut where they face Quinnipiac (Oct. 30) and Sacred Heart (Nov. 1).

 

Sacred Heart suffered road losses at Lock Haven (Oct. 23) and Siena (Oct. 25) last week. ... The Pioneers fell to Lock Haven 3-1 Friday afternoon.  Junior defender Jessica Garcia (Freehold, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven) notched her first goal of the season on a penalty stroke in the second half against Lock Haven, pulling the Pioneers even at 1-1. …  Senior forward Kelsey Zeyher (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) registered SHU's lone goal in a 2-1 overtime loss at Siena.  The Pioneers conclude the 2009 season with a pair of home games against Saint Francis (PA) (Oct. 30) and Robert Morris (Nov. 1).

 

Upset-minded Saint Francis (PA) fell in overtime to Rider (Oct. 25) in its lone action of the week.  The Red Flash held the Broncs, who are unbeaten in NEC play, scoreless for all of regulation. Goalkeeper Kate Vitali (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) had four saves in regulation and another two in overtime before surrendering the game-winner. … Saint Francis (PA) travels to Connecticut close out the season against Sacred Heart (Oct. 30) and Quinnipiac (Nov. 1).