ALBANY – There have been three women's soccer teams to repeat as champions of the Northeast-10 Conference since 1985. The College of Saint Rose is coming off its first NE-10 championship in any sport a year ago and at 1:00 pm Sunday the second-seeded Golden Knights will have a chance to defend their crown and join Franklin Pierce University, Merrimack College and Quinnipiac University (Northeast Conference) as the only clubs to capture back-to-back titles.

It just so happens that Saint Rose (16-3-1) will have to defeat one of the aforementioned teams in the top-seeded Ravens (15-3-1), who had a string of seven consecutive titles come to an end last season. The two clubs have met in postseason play five times since the Golden Knights joined the league at the outset of the 2000 campaign, with Franklin Pierce taking all five encounters. Furthermore, the two schools represent the only two institutions among 15 that have tasted victory in the conference tournament final this millennium.

Saint Rose arrives at this juncture on the strength of 11 straight victories following Thursday's 2-0 semifinal triumph versus UMass Lowell. The Golden Knights have allowed only four goals during the winning streak and have chalked up eight shutouts. The Ravens have gone unbeaten in eight straight after scoring two goals in the final 3:46 to defeat fourth-seed Southern Connecticut State 2-1 in the other semifinal affair on Thursday. Franklin Pierce has been equally impressive during its run, having surrendered three goals and registered five clean sheets.

Something has to give on Sunday. The Ravens own a slight edge in 2008 having taken a 1-0 decision versus Saint Rose back on September 17 in Albany. Junior All-American Gabriela Demoner found the back of the net from the top of the penalty box with just over 15 minutes to play for the final margin. It was a tightly contested match with both keepers stopping five shots apiece, while the Golden Knights held a slim 12-11 advantage in shots.

Ranked 21st in Tuesday's NSCAA/Adidas NCAA Division II poll, Saint Rose has proved its mettle on the road behind a 7-1-1 slate. The Golden Knights have outscored their opponents by a 20-9 margin as well. Meanwhile, Franklin Pierce sports a 7-2-1 record on its home turf (Sodexho Field) with a pair of one-goal losses during the regular season.

Sophomore forward Jazmine Farrell and freshman midfielder Christina Cuffari lead the scoring attack for Saint Rose with 15 points behind six goals and three assists each. Senior forward Kailey Egbert is on their heels with five markers and three assists for 13 points, while freshman forward Gianna D'Errico has five goals and one helper for the third-ranked scoring entity in the league.

Junior keeper Shannon Murphy spearheads a defensive unit that paces the NE-10 with 12 shutouts and ranks second with a 0.69 goals-against-average. Murphy, who has started 19 games, owns a 0.53 GAA and an .840 save percentage with 42 saves.

Franklin Pierce sophomore forward Angelika Johansson, who was tabbed NE-10 Player of the Year last Friday, is the country's top scorer with 61 points behind 28 goals and five assists. Meanwhile, Demoner has contributed 24 points on seven goals and 10 helpers. Senior keeper Brittany Ester has a 0.84 GAA with 50 saves and eight clean sheets.

Both squads are vying for an automatic bid in the upcoming NCAA Division II Tournament. The selection show is scheduled to take place at 4:30 pm Monday with first round contests slated to begin Friday, November 14.

Admission to Sunday's game will be $6 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and children.