WILMINGTON, N.C. - The UNC Wilmington women's soccer team makes its fourth straight postseason appearance this weekend as it takes part in the 2009 Colonial Athletic Association Women's Soccer Championship at Parsons Field in Brookline, Mass.
The third-seeded Seahawks will square off against second-seeded Hofstra in the first semifinal Friday at 3 p.m., while top-seed and host Northeastern will take on fourth-seed James Madison in the second semifinal at 5:30 p.m. The winners of the two semifinal contests will play in the championship game Sunday at 1 p.m. with the winner receiving the league's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Championship.
Live stats as well as pay-per-view video are available for the entire tournament. They can be accessed by clicking on the tournament central link above.
"We are obviously very excited about our participation in this year's championship," said UNCW Head Coach Paul Cairney. "With only four of 12 teams making the postseason, it is a credit to our team's resilience and determination that we found a way to qualify for the championship."
Winners of its last three contests, UNCW brings an 11-7-1 overall record and a 7-3-1 ledger in conference play into the four-team championship. Freshman forward Stephanie Rose looks to continue an impressive freshman campaign as she leads the team in scoring with 17 points on a team-high seven goals and three assists. Senior Brittany Croce and sophomore Kelly Dodd are tied for the team lead in assists with four helpers apiece as 14 different UNCW players have record an assist this season.
Between the pipes, sophomore Chandler Follett and freshman Caitlin Hunter have split time for the Seahawks as the duo combined to post a 0.90 goals against average and seven shutouts during the regular season.
Hofstra enters the championship with a 10-5-3 overall record that includes a 7-2-2 record against conference competition. The Pride had held the top spot in the league standings for the majority of the campaign until a road loss to Northeastern in the regular-season finale last Saturday dropped it into second place.
Junior forward Salma Tarik has paced the Pride attack all season, tallying 10 goals and four assists for team-best 24 points. Sophomore forward Laura Greene has served as the team's primary playmaker as she leads the squad and ranks second in the CAA with eight assists. In goal, Krysten Farriella has started all but one game this season and boasts a 10-5-2 record with 68 saves and three shutouts.
"Hofstra have been one of the top teams in our league this season," said Cairney. "Their team is full of quality players who are disciplined and organized and can break a game open at any point. In Simon Riddiough, they have one of the best young coaches in the country."
Hofstra posted a 2-1 victory in the team's lone regular-season meeting on Oct. 16 at the UNCW Soccer Stadium as the Pride scored twice in a 64-second span midway through the second half to record the one-goal victory. Friday's meeting marks the first postseason matchup between the two schools while Hofstra holds a 6-2-1 edge in the all-time series.
"Our regular season game against Hofstra was a back-and-forth affair," Cairney said. "They capitalized well on their chances and their back line was very strong. I expect our match this time to be more of the same with one goal deciding it either way."
