Women's Sectional Previews: Great Lakes

By D3soccer.com Contributor

Third Round - Friday

Quarterfinals - Saturday

Sectional Final, 1:00 om ET

How they reached the Sweet 16

2015 Statistical Overview

Carnegie Mellon Season Review

The Tartans are an at-large tournament qualifier and one of the four #1 seeds. They are co-champions of the UAA with the Bears of Washington U. The Bears earned the UAA automatic berth when they defeated the Spartans 1-0 five minutes into the second overtime in Pittsburg late in the season. CMU's overall 17-1-1 mark this year featured seven wins over teams in the NCAA field along with a 6-1-0 record in the toughest Division III women's soccer conference. 2015 caps the most successful four year run in Tartan women's soccer history. The senior class has compiled an impressive 18-7-3 UAA record; been in the tournament each year; advanced to the Sweet 16 three of those years; and only lost once in NCAA regulation play, 1-0 to York (Pa.) in the 2013 first round. They fell in penalty kick shootouts in the 2012 Elite 8 to Emory and in the 2014 Sweet Sixteen to Johns Hopkins.

Calvin Season Review

The Knights delivered an impressive turnaround from their 2014 campaign (7-10-2/6-8-2) despite stuttering out of the gate with a 0-4 loss at Wheaton (Ill.) on opening day followed immediately by falling 0-1 to Illinois Wesleyan. Since then, they have compiled a twenty-two match unbeaten streak comprised of twenty wins and two 0-0 draws with conference rival and Top 25 Hope. Calvin won the MIAA regular season title and the conference tournament after finally breaking 220 minutes of scoreless soccer versus Hope with a 3-0 triumph in their third contest of 2015. Their unbeaten streak started on Labor Day weekend with a 3-0 victory over the DePauw Tigers who likely have seen more than enough of the Knights who knocked them out of the tournament last Saturday in a 1-0 result. The Knights are led by senior midfielder Taylor TenHarmsel, the MIAA MVP.

Centre Season Review

Centre advanced to the Elite 8 in 2014 and coming off a team-building visit to Ireland last summer, they entered the 2015 season with big expectations. With the exception of a ten day stretch in mid-September where they lost 2-0 to tournament participant Denison and drew 2-2 with SAA co-champion and tournament participant Sewanee, the Colonels have been a perfect 19-0-0. The Colonels have won the SAA tournament all four years of the conference's existence and have three of four shared or outright regular season titles. Centre is a balanced squad led on offense by Division I transfer Destinie Graves. They have a solid defense that has surrendered only twelve goals on the season and only one (late in an already settled contest) in the last nine matches

Thomas More Season Review

In their preconference schedule Thomas More defeated tournament participants Capital 4-0, DePauw 3-1 and Hanover 2-1 (1OT) while battling UAA member Case Western Reserve to a 0-0 draw. This season Thomas More continued their dominant run in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference winning both the regular season title (8-0-1) and the conference tournament for the fifth straight year. During this streak their five year cumulative record in the PAC is 42-1-2. Their last in conference loss came in October 2011. The Saints have a lethal offense with 83 goals on the season, but their defense is even more impressive having yielded only four in 2015. The Saints have trailed for grand total of 8 minutes 30 seconds all season. They have achieved this defensive performance despite losing senior defender and 2014 1st Team NSCAA All-American Abby Osbourne four games into the season.

Head Coaches

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

Tournament Experience

Calvin has nearly as many tournament appearances (11) as the other teams in the group combined (15) but the "newcomers" have all the recent quality. Centre has participated six times including the last five in a row and enters the weekend 4-5-3 overall in the big dance. Thomas More has five appearances, all in a row since 2011 with a 8-4-0 overall record. In keeping with the Centre and Thomas More pattern, Carnegie Mellon's four all-time appearances are consecutively the most recent four years. Their senior class sports an impressive 7-1-2 all time record in the NCAA's. Both Centre and Thomas More advanced to the Elite 8 last year.

Players to Watch

Carnegie Mellon: M Carson Quiros (Sr.) – 4g, 2a (2x 1st Team All-UAA, 2014 2nd Team NSCAA All-Region) | M Tori Iatarola (So.) – 4g, 6a (2x 1st Team All-UAA, 2013 UAA Rookie of the Year, 2014 2nd Team NSCAA All-Region) | GK Katie Liston – .897 Sv. Pct., 0.24 GAA (2nd Team All-UAA) | D Katie Strycharz (So.) (2nd Team All-UAA)

Calvin: M Taylor TenHarmsel (Sr.) – 10g, 6a (2014 3rd Team NSCAA All-Region, MIAA MVP, 4x 1st Team All-MIAA) | F Paige Capel (Sr.) - 18g, 7a, 7 GWG (3x 1st Team All-MIAA) | D Kelsey Hiegel (Sr.) – team 0.60 GAA, 17 ShO (1st Team All-MIAA) | F Carly Veenstra (Jr.) – 7g, 5a

Centre: F Destinie Graves (Jr.) – 23g, 9a, 7 GWG (SAA Off. POY) | D Tori Dillard (Jr.) (2x SAA Def. POY) | M Nancy Ingham (So.) – 12g, 6a (1st Team All-SAA) | F Alex Combs – 12g, 1a (2nd Team All-SAA)

Thomas More: F Olivia Huber (Sr.) – 26g, 10a, 6 GWG (2014 2nd Team All-American, 3x 1st Team All-PAC) | F Julia Flagge-Echols (So.) – 24g, 14a, 8 GWG (2x 1st Team All-PAC) | M Laura Felix (Jr.) – 5g, 3a (2014 1st Team NSCAA All-Region, 3x 1st Team All-PAC) | GK Megan Barton (Jr.) – .952 Sv. Pct., 0.15 GAA, 14 ShO (1st Team All-PAC)

Tournament Re-Matches

There have been no regular season or tournament contests between any of these four squads in the last five years.

Why they will advance to the Final Four

Carnegie Mellon: The Spartans are the highest ranked in this the most balanced sectional (#5, #8, #12 and #14); are battle tested with by far the most challenging schedule and have home field advantage. Their defense will hold off Calvin, the lowest scoring team in this sectional, until the CMU attack generates a game-winner. Their overall strength will overcome the Battle of the Bluegrass winner who will enter the match with a less testing schedule to rely upon.

Calvin: The Knights hang with the Tartans energized by an underdog mindset and a nothing to lose attitude. Carnegie Mellon succumbs to the pressure of being the favorite at home and falls in PK's after a 0-0 draw. In the Elite 8 Calvin springs another mild upset over the unofficial Kentucky state champion, Centre or Thomas More.

Centre: The Colonels jump out to an early lead on the Saints who, having virtually no come-from-behind experience this season, will be frustrated chasing the game and unable to find an equalizer. Centre continues their October and November roll having gotten comfortable on the turf in the their round of sixteen win. Bolstered by the experience of their near-miss in the 2014 Elite 8 match where they surrendered the equalizer with less than seven minutes remaining, they advance to the program's first Final Four.

Thomas More: The Saints and the Colonels meet for the first time in an NCAA contest featuring two teams from Kentucky. The Saints duo of Huber and Flagg-Echols outduel Centre's Graves on the turf in this match featuring two stingy defenses. Energized by their victory and motivated by falling just short (PK's in the Elite 8) last season, the Saints overcome the winner of the CMU / Calvin match.

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