November 5, 2007
BRYANT WOMEN RANKED No. 2 IN NEW ENGLAND REGION
Bulldogs to host NCAA Regional first and second rounds Nov. 9 and 11
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SMITHFIELD, RI - The Bryant University women's soccer team, ranked No. 2 in the final New England Regional Poll and No. 8 in the latest NSCAA Division II national poll, will host half of NCAA New England Regional action at the Turf Complex November 9 and 11, 2007.
Bryant will split hosting duties with Northeast-10 Conference champions and regional No. 1 seed Saint Rose. As the top two seeds, both the Bulldogs (17-1-5) and the Golden Knights (18-0-2) will receive first-round byes, while No. 3 Franklin Pierce (13-1-5) takes on No. 6 Holy Family (14-7) in Smithfield and No. 4 Merrimack College (12-4-4) plays No. 5 UMass Lowell (11-8-1) in Albany, NY.
This is the Bulldogs' third trip to the NCAA Tournament and their second in as many years. Bryant first appeared in the Division II national tournament in 2001, when it dropped a first-round regional matchup to conference-foe Merrimack, 2-1.
The 2006 edition faced a near-identical fate, losing to another NE-10 opponent - this season's regular-season and tournament champ - Saint Rose, 2-0.
This year, Bryant will take on the winner of the No. 3 Ravens and No. 6 Tigers Sunday at 1 p.m., and the Bulldogs have matched up against both in the 2007 regular season.
The Bulldogs traveled to Philadelphia on Aug. 28, outshooting Holy Family, 28-8, en route to a 5-3 win. Senior tri-captain and Northeast-10 First-Teamer Tricia Spada notched a pair of goals in the winning effort, while Third-Team All-Conference selection Alex DiPippo scored two of her own off the bench. Sophomore Third-Teamer Holly Tyser notched a goal and an assist.
Bryant and Franklin Pierce met twice in 2007: once in the regular season - a 2-1 Bryant win - and again last Thursday (Nov. 1) in an NE-10 Conference semifinal that saw the Bulldogs advance to the conference championship on penalty kicks, 7-6. The score was 0-0 at the end of double overtime.
If Franklin Pierce were to advance out of Friday's first-round action, it would pit the conference's Player of the Year in the Ravens' Gabriela Demoner and the conference's Defender of the Year in Bryant's Danielle Malta for the second time in less than two weeks.
Franklin Pierce and Holy Family have met once before this season as well - a 6-0 shelling by the then-No. 7 Ravens back on Aug. 24. Franklin Pierce registered 32 shots to Holy Family's 12. Game time for first-round action is to be announced.
Holy Family is the only team in the New England bracket from outside the Northeast-10 Conference and represents the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. The winners of Sunday's contests will face off in the NCAA third round on Nov. 16.
