ALBANY – The College of Saint Rose will be making its sixth appearance in a regional final within the past eight years on Friday when the Golden Knights meet C.W. Post in the East Regional Championship of the 2010 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament. The match will be played on the campus of West Chester University, the top-seed in the Atlantic Region, at 1:30 pm.

The Golden Knights (22-0-0), ranked #1 in the final NSCAA/HendrickCars.com Division II Poll, have never met the Pioneers (14-1-4) in a postseason contest. C.W. Post leads the all-time series (7-1-0) between the two clubs having taken seven of eight meetings. The two former New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) opponents have met just twice (2008 & 2009) since 1999. The Pioneers took a 2-1 decision over Saint Rose in the season-opener for both squads two years ago. However, the Golden Knights blanked C.W. Post 2-0 in a non-league affair last September 23 in Albany.

The Atlantic Regional Championship match between the host Golden Rams (18-1-2) and California, PA (18-1-3) is scheduled to begin at 11:00 am Friday. The winners will meet at noon Sunday in a national quarterfinal game.

Saint Rose, which is one of only two (Central Missouri) unbeaten or untied teams in the country (Division II), got to this point with last Sunday's 1-0 NCAA second round win versus the University of Bridgeport. Meanwhile, C.W. Post advanced with a 2-0 defeat over American International College on Sunday.

The Golden Knights possess a balanced attack coupled with a superlative defensive corps. Eighteen different players have figured in the scoring column, including 16 who have recorded at least one goal. Junior midfielder Christina Cuffari has produced a team-leading 34 points with 10 goals and 14 assists. The latter is tied for the single-season school record. She is furthermore one of three players in school history to reach double-digits in goals and assists in a single-season. Freshman forward Carmelina Puopolo is also in that trio having put up 31 points on 10 goals and 11 helpers.

Senior backs Katie Whiting, Kelly Guerin and Coco Ebersole anchor a defense, along with sophomore Meagan McKinney, that has shut out 10 of its last 12 opponents and owns a slim 0.27 goals-against-average, which ranks second in the nation (Division II). Saint Rose has allowed a mere six goals all season, one in the first half.

Senior keeper Deanna Esposito, the Northeast-10 Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, leads the country with a 0.15 GAA and a 0.948 save percentage. She continues to add to her school record win total (22) and is in the midst of an 843-minute scoreless streak that covers 11 games.

C.W. Post features a lethal scoring combination in freshman forward Alexa Niciforo and senior forward Ivana Babic. The duo has combined for over 55.0 percent of the squad's offensive output so far this season. Niciforo leads the Pioneers with 17 goals and three assists for 37 points, while Babic is right on her heels with 34 points behind 13 goals and eight assists. No other player has more than five goals on the year.

Between the posts, junior keeper Allie Weiser has made 80 saves, chalked up nine shutouts, and allowed only nine goals all year. The club's 0.45 GAA ranks eighth in the nation.

Saint Rose is 12-7-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament contests. A year ago, the Golden Knights won the East Regional title with a 1-0 triumph over Franklin Pierce University. That victory helped solidify the program's second straight national quarterfinal appearance.

Tickets for Friday's games are $7 for general admission, $3 for college students (with ID) and senior citizens, and $1 for children ages 2-12. Tickets may be purchased at the gate.

Saint Rose is also sponsoring an audio webcast of the game.