Tom Killips

The College of Saint Rose will face Mercy in an NCAA Tournament third-round match today.

Women's Soccer 11/21/2014 7:00:00 AM David Alexander

GOLDEN KNIGHTS TO MEET MERCY IN NCAA EAST REGION FINAL

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Series: Saint Rose leads 5-0 | First Meeting: 2010

Last Time Out: Senior forward #Carmelina Puopolo# scored both goals including the game-winner with less than a minute remaining in the first overtime session to lift The College of Saint Rose to Sunday's 2-1 NCAA Tournament second-round win against visiting 15th-ranked LIU Post. The Pioneers took an early lead when junior forward Susanne Vistnes created space at the top of the area, before delivering a shot that sailed into the lower right corner with 8:24 gone by. However, Puopolo leveled it with just 37 seconds left until intermission when she got position at the LIU Post doorstep and subsequently redirected a free kick off the foot of junior midfielder #Jennifer Busk#. Saint Rose kept up the pressure in the second half that yielded a 6-2 shot advantage and a 7-2 corner kick differential, but could not finish until Puopolo drove home a pass from junior midfielder #Michaela Phillips#.

Last Meeting (9/9/14): Puopolo scored the game-winner with 12 seconds remaining in double overtime to lift Saint Rose to a 2-1 home victory. After allowing the Mavericks (2-1) to generate some momentum in the latter stages of the second half, the Golden Knights relentlessly pushed forward throughout the second extra session that led to a 5-1 shot advantage. Sophomore forward #Emily Meeks# helped make the effort pay off by creating some space near the left corner, before delivering a low cross that Puopolo touched home. Puopolo one-timed a feed earlier that put the Golden Knights up 1-0 with 16:58 elapsed. Freshman forward #Morgan Burchhardt# dropped a pass to sophomore midfielder #Silvana Giovannone# who delivered a ball from the right flank that Puopolo deflected into the net. Mercy leveled when freshman forward Heidi Serna jumped on a loose ball inside the six-yard box at the 52:03 mark. Between the posts, sophomore keeper #Ashley Homer# recorded three saves and senior central back #Jourdan Thompson# covered a plethora of acreage to minimize Mercy's scoring chances. At the other end, junior keeper Nicole Augustine came up with three of her eight saves throughout the second overtime for the Mavericks.

Scouting #6 Saint Rose (19-1-2): The Golden Knights are 22-10-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament contests. This is the 12th time in 13 years that Saint Rose is competing in the field. Today represents the Golden Knights 10th regional championship appearance. They have furthermore made five national semifinal appearances (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012) within the past six years and captured the 2011 National Championship. A victory today would propel Saint Rose to its seventh consecutive 20-win season and sixth national quarterfinal date. The Golden Knights are 14th in the country in scoring offense (2.55) and are fifth in team goals-against-average (0.392). They have shutout 14 of their 22 opponents, have won six straight and are 4-0-2 in overtime this season. Sixteen players have at least one goal including Puopolo who stands second nationally with 20 goals and third with 47 points. Nine of her strikes have been game-winners. Her 20 strikes furthermore tie her own single-season school record. Burchhardt has eight goals and nine assists. Busk has set up a team-leading 10 goals. Homer has logged all of the squad's 2,064 minutes, third most in the country, and is sixth nationally with a 0.392 GAA. Thompson plays a key role in the middle of the defense. She is flanked by senior #La'Quilla Upton# and junior #Nicole Shively#, and plays behind Phillips, a central defensive midfielder. Senior forward #Meeghan Arno#, senior midfielder #Emily Benjamin#, junior midfielders #Gianna Smith# and #Amanda Vasquez#, and freshman midfielder #Roxana Hernandez# have combined for seven goals and four assists.

Scouting #17 Mercy (17-2-1): The Mavericks scored a pair of second half goals seven minutes apart to upend visiting Bridgeport 2-1 on Sunday in Dobbs Ferry, NY. Bridgeport spoiled the shutout in the 88th minute. Senior midfielder Jenna Petel and senior forward Jessica Carrillo accounted for the two strikes. Mercy has outscored its opponents 41-10, including 29-7 after halftime, this season. As with Saint Rose, the Mavericks feature a balanced attack with five double-digit point producers. Junior midfielder Jessica DeLeon and Carrillo have produced 24 and 21 points respectively. The former has a team-leading 12 assists to go along with six goals while Carrillo has a team-best nine goals and three helpers to her credit. Senior midfielder MacKenzie Cochrane and Serna have 17 and 15 points respectively on the strength of seven goals apiece, while senior forward Danielle Deeb has 13 points on six goals and an assist. Augustine has played all but 57 of the squad's 1,835 minutes. She owns a 0.51 GAA.

Up Next: The winner of today's match will advance to Sunday's 12:00 pm national quarterfinal versus either host West Chester (16-2-2) or West Virginia Wesleyan (13-4-3).

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Players Mentioned

#10 Roxana Hernandez: M; 5' 2"; Senior

#8 Morgan Burchhardt: F/M; 5' 6"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#10 Roxana Hernandez
: 5' 2"; Senior
: M

#8 Morgan Burchhardt
: 5' 6"; Senior
: F/M

College of Saint Rose Athletics

Events Scoreboard

GOLDEN KNIGHTS TO MEET MERCY IN NCAA EAST REGION FINAL

Players Mentioned

#10 Roxana Hernandez

#8 Morgan Burchhardt

Players Mentioned

#10 Roxana Hernandez

#8 Morgan Burchhardt