Women's Sectional Previews: East

By Jim Matson with contributions from Steve King, Messiah Sports Information

Third Round - Saturday

Quarterfinals - Sunday

Sectional Final, 1:00 pm ET

How they reached the Sweet 16

2015 Statistical Overview

Messiah Season Review

The Falcons are playing in their 16th-straight NCAA Tournament and have won five national titles, the last one in 2012. So at the outset of every season, there aren't many folks who don't expect another Final Four appearance for the Messiah women. After a 3-0 start, which is not typical as Messiah frequently schedules top flight opponents early on, the Falcons ran into another stalwart in William Smith, yet escaped with a 1-1 draw on the road. After four matches, Messiah had outscored their opponents 14-2, followed by a seven game all-shutout winning streak. After a scoreless draw with Farmingdale State, the Falcons finished as the Commonwealth champ at 18-0-2, allowing only three goals all season. Is it an imposing offense? Or a stingy defense? The obvious answer is that it is both. And as the NCAA Tournament kicked off, Messiah earned their spot in the Sweet Sixteen with shutouts of Staten Island and No. 20 Montclair State.

In 16 years at Messiah, head coach Scott Frey has become among the winningest active coaches in Division III soccer. Frey's teams have earned five Championships, and played in 10 Final Fours. His team's powerful offense is led by two-time D3soccer.com All-American senior Nikki Elsaesser (28g, 14a), senior Kyle Bridel (13g, 9a), and junior Marisa Weaver (14g, 3a). As with every championship caliber team, Messiah is strong in midfield transition, thanks to the efforts of senior center midfielder and MAC Commonwealth Def. PoY Macaulay Soto (1g, 4a). Junior defender Kayla Deckert and keeper Audra Larson work to stop the few shots that do get through that Messiah back line. Larson is 20-0-2 in the net with a .153 GAA with a .914 save percentage.

Rowan Season Review

Rowan went unbeaten in nine of their first 10 matches this season (8-1-1) and, as mentioned, they're riding a seven-game win streak entering the weekend. Their offense is led by four double-digit scorers including First Team All-NJAC forward Maxine New. She leads the team with nine goals and 21 points and, uniquely, has started just five games this season. New has also netted five game-winners and she served the corner for Wagner's winning goal over Lynchburg. She's flanked by second-leading scorer Melissa Kelly (5g, 3a) and NJAC co-Rookie of the Year Darah Wagner (5g, 2a). Those two have scored 13 points and 12 points, respectively, and Cathryn McCarry has contributed five goals and a single assist to round out the top scorers.

The Prof's defense is led by First Team All-NJAC honoree Emily Daigle and goalkeeper Shelby Money. Those two have led a stingy backfield that's allowed just eight goals all season. Money has been terrific in the net for Rowan as she holds a save percentage of .929 and GAA of .269. She's started 11 games this season-including five-straight-and she's collected seven shutouts. Overall, the Profs have allowed more than five shots on goal to their opponents in just five games.

Hardin-Simmons Season Review

By scoring tons of goals. HSU can score at an elite level and they boast four players with double-digit goal totals. They've scored at least three goals in 16 of 22 games thus far, and they've hit at least seven goals in seven different matches. Hardin-Simmons grabbed the American Southwest Conference title for the 13th-straight season for the AQ into the NCAA Tournament. The Cowgirls' biggest win thus far was their most recent: 2-0 over No. 2 Trinity (Texas) to advance into the Sectional Semifinal.

The Cowgirls are very good defensively, but the offensive numbers pop off the stat sheet. Kami Jones leads the team in goals (25), assists (14), points (65) and game-winners (4) and this season she was named the co-Offensive Player of the Year for the conference. Kenne Kessler is the second of eight double-digit point scorers, and she boasts 20 goals and 11 assists. She was also named the conference Offensive Rookie of the Year. Jordan Lara (16g, 11a), Josey Meye (11g, 13a), and Kristen Parrish (8g, 4a) are also 20-plus point scorers. Midfielder Shannon Byrd and defenders Parrish and Sarah Krisa-the conference Defensive Rookie of the Year-protect the goal and keeper Lexi Stinson. The back line has relented just 11 goals all season, and Stinson holds a .460 GAA and .868 save percentage in 11 in 21 starts. Stinson has nabbed four shutouts and has at least three saves in each of her past five games.

Swarthmore Season Review

The Garnet are having the best season in program history thanks to imposing play on all sides of the ball. They've allowed just seven goals all season and they've tallied 82 themselves, and they've given up just 8.6 shots to opponents each time out. Swarthmore received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after dropping a 2-1 decision to Johns Hopkins in the Centennial Conference Championship.

Swarthmore boasts seven players in double-digit points including First Team All-Centennial forwards Marin McCoy (15g, 10a) and Hannah Lichenstein (12g, 10a). Katie Dougherty (11g, 5a) and Caroline Khanna (8g, 6a) round out the 20-point scorers. Melissa Trofa is a noticeable point producer with a single goal and 13 assists to her credit. Midfielder Mirdan Saldivar and defender Melissa Curran lead a terrific midfield and back line effort that has a 0.331 GAA. Keeper Reba Magier has been outstanding in the net with a save percentage of .897 and personal GAA of .386. Magier has collected seven shutout this season, but she has allowed four goals in her past three games.

Head Coaches

Seniors' 4-year Record (through Nov. 15)