FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-049-07-08
Thursday, November 8, 2007

Elizabethtown to Face Union in First Round of NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College women's soccer team will play Union (N.Y.) College in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on the campus of William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y.

The Blue Jays (17-3-1 overall) are making their second straight appearance in the NCAA playoffs and sixth in program history after earning an at-large bid following a 3-0 loss at Messiah College in the Commonwealth Conference championship match.

Last year, Elizabethtown defeated Richard Stockton College and Montclair State University in overtime in the first two rounds of the tournament before falling to Virginia Wesleyan College in the third round.

The Dutchwomen (15-4-0 overall) are appearing in the NCAA tournament for the eighth time in the last nine years and earned an at-large bid following a 2-1 loss to Hamilton College in the Liberty League semifinals.

The winner of Saturday's match will advance to a second-round match on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. against the winner of Saturday's first match between host William Smith (17-0-1 overall) and Worcester State College (14-5-0 overall).

Admission is $6 for general admission, $3 for students (including college students with a valid identification) and senior citizens, $2 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for children under 3.

Elizabethtown, which set school records with an 11-game winning streak and 17-game unbeaten streak this season, is led by junior Jenna Russo (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park), who was named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year after leading the Blue Jays with 10 goals and nine assists for 29 points in 19 matches.

Junior Brooke Dotterer (Spring City, PA/Owen J. Roberts) added 10 goals and seven assists for 27 points and senior Jenny Fromuth (Wyomissing, PA/Wyomissing) tallied seven goals and six assists for the Blue Jays, who outscored their opponents by a 45-14 margin.

On defense, the quartet of seniors Jamie Alvanitakis (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove) and Emily Gunter (Hockessin, DE/A.I. duPont) along with juniors Carly Hoskins (Bangor, PA/Bangor) and Gretchen Geiger (Pilesgrove, NJ/Woodstown) helped limit opponents to just over six shots per match.

All four defenders were named Commonwealth Conference Defender of the Week at various points during the season, along with junior goalkeeper Angela Freeland (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee), who went 11-2-1 with eight shutouts and a 0.81 goals against average in 16 starts for the Blue Jays.

The Dutchwomen are led by first-year student Katie McLean, who scored 13 goals and added four assists for 30 points, while sophomore Allison Cuozzo (9 goals, 7 assists for 25 points) and senior Caitlin Cuozzo (6 goals, 9 assists for 21 points) also contributed to a Union offense that averaged 2.8 goals per game.

Sophomore Melissa McDonald started all 19 games in goal for the Dutchwomen and finished with seven shutouts and a 0.61 goals against average.

The teams have never met in women's soccer, and share just one common opponent this season in Gettysburg College. Elizabethtown posted a 3-0 road win on Oct. 3 while Union defeated the Bullets 2-0 in the Heron Cup at William Smith on Sept. 9.