UPDATE! All of this weekend's games can be followed over the internet. You can follow LiveStats at http://people.brandeis.edu/~aslevin/livestats/xlive.htm, or listen to WBRS, 100.1 FM over the web at http://www.wbrs.org
WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's soccer team has earned selection to the NCAA Division III tournament for the second time in school history. The Judges have earned the right to host the first two rounds of the tournament on Gordon Field on Saturday and Sunday, November 13 and 14. Brandeis will play Castleton State College in the first round on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., following Williams College against Lasell College who will open the day at 11 a.m. The winners of those two matches will face off on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Tickets will be $3 for students and $6 for adults.
Brandeis finished the 2010 campaign with a 14-4-1 record, their winningest regular season since 2004. The Judges finished third in the University Athletic Association with a 4-3 record, finishing in third place to claim an at-large NCAA tournament berth, their first since 1988.
On the field, the Judges are led by seniors Sofia Vallone (Westport, Conn./Staples) and Tiffany Pacheco (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional). Vallone led the UAA in overall goals (17), overall points (38) and goals (5) and points (10) in conference games. With postseason play still to come, Vallone has tied the school single-season record for goals and is two points shy of the single-season points record.
Pacheco has nine assists on the campaign to lead the UAA, while her 25 points are third in the UAA. Pacheco has 28 assists for her career, tied for Brandeis's all-time lead, while sitting in fourth place on the Judges' career list with 86 points.
The Judges also have a fine defense, led by senior Taryn Martiniello (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) and juniors Ali Maresca (Wyckoff, N.J./Wyckoff), Fran Shin (Bayside, N.Y./Benjamin Cardozo) and Ali Theodore (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) on the back line and sophomore goalkeeper Francine Kofinas (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West). The Brandeis defense has turned in 10 shutouts this season and never allowed more than two goals in a game, posting a 0.62 goals-against average. Kofinas's 45 saves in UAA games led the league, while her 83 total saves and 0.58 GAA were third.
Castleton State College posted a 16-2-1 record this season and claimed the North Athletic Conference's automatic berth into the tournament. The Spartans have three 10-goal scorers, led by senior Courtney Chadbourne. The three-time NAC Player of the Year has 21 goals and seven assists for 49 points this season. Junior Hilary Cooke (16-4-36) and sophomore Megan Blongy (12-7-31) also earned first-team All-NAC honors, as did sophomore goalkeeper Ericka Davis (7 shutouts, 81 saves).
Brandeis has faced seven teams – including four others from the UAA - who are in the NCAA tournament this season, posting a 3-3-1 record. Brandeis defeated Springfield (3-1), Roger Williams (6-0) and Washington University (2-0), while falling to Rochester (0-1), Emory (0-2) and Chicago (0-2) and drawing with William Paterson (0-0). Castleton State lost its only game against an NCAA tournament team, 2-1, to Plattsburgh State.
This will be the second-ever meeting between Brandeis and Castleton State College and second in a row in the postseason. The Judges and Spartans met the first round of the 2009 ECAC Division III New England tournament with Brandeis taking a 3-0 victory on Gordon Field behind a pair of Pacheco goals.
The other matchup on the weekend features Williams (12-3-2), champions of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) taking on Lasell (14-3-3), winners of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.
For the complete NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship bracket, click here: http://www.ncaa.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ncaa/sports/w-soccer/auto_pdf/2010d3wsoccerbracket2.
For more information on Brandeis women's soccer, visit us on-line at http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/wsoc. Head shots and action shots are available on request.
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