ALBANY – There have been four women's soccer teams to repeat as champions of the Northeast-10 Conference since 1985. The College of Saint Rose is coming off its third NE-10 championship a year ago and at 1:00 pm Sunday, at Sullivan Field at the Christian Plumeri Sports Complex, the top-seeded Golden Knights will have a chance to defend their crown and join Franklin Pierce University and Merrimack College as the only clubs to capture four straight titles.

It just so happens that Saint Rose (20-0-0) will have to defeat one of the aforementioned teams in the third-seeded Ravens (14-4-1), who had a string of seven consecutive titles come to an end in 2007. The two clubs have accounted for each of the last 10 postseason NE-10 titles. They have met in postseason play nine times, including twice a year ago when the Golden Knights walked away with a 2-1 win to capture the league championship and then upended Franklin Pierce 1-0 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, the two schools represent the only two institutions among 16 that have tasted victory in the conference tournament final this millennium.

Saint Rose arrives at this juncture on the strength of a perfect 20-0 slate following Thursday's 4-0 semifinal triumph versus American International College. The Golden Knights have allowed only six goals, one in the first half, and have chalked up 14 shutouts. The Ravens have won three in a row since dropping a 1-0 decision against Saint Rose on October 23, their lone home loss of the 2010 campaign. Franklin Pierce got past Merrimack 4-2 in the other semifinal affair on Thursday, thus propelling the Ravens into their 10th title game in the past 11 seasons.

The Golden Knights are ranked #1 in the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com NCAA Division II Poll for the eighth straight week. They remain one of only two (Central Missouri) unbeaten or untied teams and stand third in the nation (Division II) with a 3.80 goal scoring average. Saint Rose has also recorded 20 wins for the third year in a row and is 10-0-1 in the league tournament since its last loss in the 2006 semifinals.

Eighteen different players have figured in the scoring column for the Golden Knights, including 16 who have recorded at least one goal. Junior midfielder Christina Cuffari and freshman forward Carmelina Puopolo have recorded 31 and 30 points to lead the scoring parade. Cuffari has nine goals and her 13 assists are one shy of tying a single-season school record. Puopolo's 10 goals and 10 assists make her one of only two players in school annals to reach double-digits in both categories in a single-season.

Senior keeper Deanna Esposito leads the nation with a slim 0.17 goals-against-average and a 0.943 save percentage. She has furthermore collected 10 clean sheets and 50 saves as she continues to add to her school record 20-win total. Senior backs Katie Whiting, Kelly Guerin and Coco Ebersole anchor a defense, along with sophomore Meagan McKinney, that has shut out eight of its last 10 opponents.

Franklin Pierce, which is receiving votes in this week's NSCAA/HendrickCars.com NCAA Division II Poll, possesses the league's second-highest scoring offense behind only Saint Rose with 44 goals throughout 19 games. Junior forward Amanda Panaro leads the conference in both points (42) and goals (19). She has also produced four assists. Meanwhile, senior midfielder Shona Franklin has eight strikes and six assists for 22 points. The duo has accounted for more than half of the club's scoring production this season.

Junior keeper Jocelyn Leon ranks sixth in the NE-10 with a 1.00 GAA and five shutouts throughout 18 games this season for the Ravens.

Admission to Sunday's game will be $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens, children and Saint Rose employees with an ID. Admission is free for Saint Rose students with a valid ID. The games will also be streamed live for free on www.northeast10.tv.