WOMEN'S SOCCER TO HOST REGIS IN GNAC QUARTERFINALS

BOSTON, Mass. – Fourth-seeded Emmanuel College (13-5, 9-3 GNAC) will host No. 5 Regis College (10-6, 7-5 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Soccer Tournament Quarterfinal game at Roberto Clemente Field on Friday at 7:00 PM.

OVERVIEW:

Friday's winner advances to the semifinal round of the GNAC tourney and will face the victor of the No. 1 Lasell College / No. 8 University of Saint Joseph (CT) quarterfinal on Wednesday, October 31st.

The other quarterfinal contests within the conference bracket consist of No. 2 Saint Joseph's College (ME) versus No. 7 Simmons University and No. 3 Johnson & Wales University versus No. 6 Colby-Sawyer College. 

The winner of the GNAC Championship game, which will be played on Saturday, November 3rd, earns an automatic berth into the 2018 NCAA DIII Women's Soccer Championship, which begins on Saturday, Nov. 10th.

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

Emmanuel:

• The Saints enter the GNAC Tournament ranked first in the conference in goals against average (0.82) while boasting a program-record nine shutouts
• Emmanuel averages 2.94 goals per game and just under 18 shot attempts per match
• The Saints kick off the tourney on a four-match winning streak, most recently posted a 2-1 victory over previously unbeaten and No. 1 seed, Lasell College, in their regular-season finale
• Emmanuel is 7-2 at home this season, falling in it's season-opener to Emerson 2-1 and suffering a 2-1 loss to University of Saint Joseph (CT) midway through the campaign

Regis:

• The Pride were picked to finish 10th in the GNAC Preseason Coaches' poll but showed the conference that they were true contenders throughout the season
• Regis has won five of their last six regular-season matches with the only loss coming at the hands of Lasell by a 2-1 result
• The squad enters the postseason averaging 2.56 goals per game to go along with a 1.84 goals against average.
• Regis ranks third in the GNAC in shot attempts per game, averaging 19.4 shots throughout the year

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Emmanuel:

• Senior midfielder Mikayla Guthrie (North Andover, Mass.) - The Saints a 7-0-0 in games that Guthrie scored a goal in this season as she currently tanks in the top 10 in the GNAC in goals, assists and points
• Senior midfielder Kayla Generis (Wethersfield, Conn.) - The 2017 all-conference player came back with a stronger senior campaign with career-highs in goals, assists and points
• Junior forward Natalie Dash (East Hampton, Conn.) - Scored in eight straight games earlier this season and ranks just outside the top 10 in GNAC scoring

Regis:

• Freshman forward Kaylee Francis (Milton, Mass.) - led the team with 11 goals and five assists for 27 total points and is one goal and one point shy from tying the Regis single-season records in both categories
• Freshman goalkeeper Oriana Attridge (Westwood, Mass.) - started 11 of the last 12 matches in net for the Pride, posting a 6-5 record this season with a 1.63 goals against average and an .817 save percentage
• Junior midfielder Rachel Kelly (Whitman, Mass.) -  has nettedsix goals and three assists for 15 total points so far this year

KEEPER COMPARISON:

Regis:

Attridge ranks second in the GNAC, with 76 total saves. She has not allowed a goal in the last 194:36, including the first two shutouts of her career at Rivier and against Framingham State, plus she made a season-high 16 saves at Lasell two weeks ago.

Emmanuel:

Junior Lexi Gawron (South Hadley, Mass.) leads the GNAC in Goals Against Average and Save Percentage. She allowed the fewest goals among GNAC keepers on the year and holds the highest Start to Win ratio. Gawron ranks second in shutouts and has appeared in nine shutouts overall to share the conference lead. She closed the regular-season with 315 minutes of scoreless action in net.

COACHES' CORNER:

Emmanuel Head Coach Greg Visinho is in his first year at the helm for the Saints and owns a 13-5 career record, including an 9-3 (.750) mark in GNAC play. In his first season as the Saints' clipboard carrier, he led the Saints to a conference low 0.82 goals against average, tying the program record with nine shutouts. Visinho's first assistant, Dan Campagna, served as the team's Head Coach last season and was named the 2017 GNAC Coach of the Year.

Regis Head Coach Mike Webber is in his third season with the program following 11 seasons at Division III power Allegheny College (Meadville, Pa.). In his three years, Webber has led the Pride to a 25-23-3 record, doubling the win total in his first year with the squad from the previous regime. 

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

Emmanuel edges Regis, 1-0, on the road on Wesnesday, September 26. The squads were deadlocked at 0-0 until the 84th minute when EC junior Abba McKenelley (Middleton, Mass.) found the back of the net to power the Saints to a road win.

The Saints held considerable advantages in shots (21-7), and corner kicks (10-2) in the victory while Attridge finished the game with nine saves.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Emmanuel is 3-1 all-time versus Regis College and enters Friday's contest having defeated the Pride in the last two meetings during the regular-season since Regis joined the GNAC.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:

The Saints are 17-16-2 all-time in the GNAC tournament, most recently making a run to the championship game in both the 2014 and 2015 playoffs. Last year, Emmanuel lost to Simmons in the quarterfinals of the GNAC Tournament, 2-0, falling as the No. 3 seed in the opening round.

Regis is appearing in the GNAC Tournament for the first time after failing to qualify last year. The Pride are 4-5 overall in conference tournament play from their time in the NECC. 

COVERAGE:

To watch the game live, visit https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ecsaints/ and click on the watch button.