Women's Soccer Set to Host Albertus Magnus in GNAC Quarterfinals

BOSTON, Mass. – Third-seeded Emmanuel College (9-8-1, 8-3-1 GNAC) will host No. 6 Albertus Magnus College (8-7-1, 5-6-1 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Soccer Tournament Quarterfinal game at Roberto Clemente Field on Saturday at 12:00 PM.

OVERVIEW:

Friday's winner advances to the semifinal round of the GNAC tourney and will face the victor of the No. 2 Saint Joseph's College (ME) / No. 7 University of Saint Joseph (CT) quarterfinal on Tuesday, November 5th.

The other quarterfinal contests within the conference bracket consist of No. 1 Johnson & Wales University versus No. 8 Norwich University and No. 4 Suffolk University versus No. 5 Lasell University. 

The winner of the GNAC Championship game, which will be played on Saturday, November 9th, earns an automatic berth into the 2019 NCAA DIII Women's Soccer Championship, which begins on Friday, Nov. 15th.

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

Emmanuel:

• The Saints enter the GNAC Tournament ranked fourth in the conference in goals against average (1.36) while boasting four shutouts
• Emmanuel averages 1.89 goals per game and just under 12.8 shot attempts per match
• The Saints kick off the tourney on a four-match unbeaten streak, most recently posting a shutout over Regis College to secure the No. 3 seed in the season finale.
• Emmanuel is 4-1-1 at home this season in GNAC play, with the only conference loss coming in a tight 2-1 defeat to the No. 1 seed JWU Wildcats

Albertus Magnus:

• The Falcons were picked to finish 11th in the GNAC Preseason Coaches' poll but showed the conference that they were true contenders throughout the season
• Albertus enters the tourney coming off a 2-0 victory over USJ in a must-win game to punch its ticket into the GNAC tourney
• The squad enters the postseason averaging 2.94 goals per game to rank second overall in the GNAC
• The Falcons are a very physical team and also lead the GNAC in yellow cards with 13 cautions this season

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Emmanuel:

• Senior forward Natalie Dash (East Hampton, Conn.) - The Saints went 5-0-0 in GNAC play this season in games that Dash recorded a point in. She enters the tourney ranked tied for eighth in the GNAC in goals scored (9) and 10^th in the GNAC in points (21).
• Junior midfielder Sydney Allen (Charlestown, R.I.) – A leader in the EC midfield, Allen has started every game this season and is Emmanuel's facilitator in the middle third of the pitch.
• Senior defender Kaylin Deschenes (Lynn, Mass.) – The 2018 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year helped EC post four shutouts this season while also collecting 10 points on four goals and two assists.

Albertus Magnus:

• Junior forward Katherine Raposo (Warwick, R.I.) - Is tied for second in the GNAC in goals (15), second in points (36), tied for fourth in assists (6), and sixth in shots taken (67).
• Sophomore midfielder Haley Andrews (Prospect, Conn.) – Will looks to continue her stellar sophomore season, which has seen her tally ten goals and eight assists for 28 points to rank fifth in the GNAC
• Junior forward Sophia Austin (East Hartford, Conn.) – Recorded points in seven of the first eight games of the year and ranks second in the GNAC in assists (8).

KEEPER COMPARISON:

Albertus Magnus:

Senior Cassidy Scofield (Shelton, Conn.) ranks sixth in the GNAC, with 98 total saves. She is coming off her fourth shutout of the year, the third most among GNAC keepers and has registered an .810 save percentage to rank sixth in the conference.

Emmanuel:

First year Alyssa Crugnale (Middleton, Mass.) earned the starting nod for the GNAC postseason after stepping up in her time in net this season. She currently ranks second in the conference with a 0.92 goals against average and third in the GNAC with an .838 save percentage.

COACHES' CORNER:

Emmanuel Head Coach Greg Visinho is in his second year at the helm for the Saints and owns a 23-14-1 career record, including a 17-6-1 (.729) 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, setting the program record with 10 shutouts and landed a program-record five players to the GNAC All-Conference First team a year ago.

Albertus Magnus Head Coach Nick Wajnowski is in his 13th season with the program and just posted his 120^th career victory on Wednesday vs. USJ. He was named the 2011 GNAC Women's Soccer Coach of the Year. 

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

Emmanuel edged Albertus, 2-0, at home this season on October 2^nd. The Saints were without leading scorer Natalie Dash due to an ankle injury and got all the offense they'd need in the first 10 minutes as junior Paige White (Guilford, Conn.) netted her first goal of the season. Classmate Hannah Sheskey (Scituate, Mass.) added an insurance goal in the 54^th minute to account for the 2-0 final.

The Saints held considerable advantages in shots (22-9) in the win.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Emmanuel is 15-3-1 all-time versus Albertus Magnus College and enters Saturday's contest having defeated the Falcons in the last five meetings during the regular-season dating back to 2015 but has gone 0-1-1 in two postseason meetings over that timeframe.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:

The Saints are 18-17-2 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 Lasell in the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament, 1-0, falling to the No. 1 seed in overtime.

Albertus makes its 12^th appearance in the GNAC postseason and holds a 4-8-3 all-time record in tournament play including a 1-1-1 mark vs. Emmanuel. The Falcons topped EC in 2016 by a 1-0 score, tied the Saints in 2015, 0-0, with the Saints advancing in penalty kicks and fell to Emmanuel by a 4-0 score back in 2009.

COVERAGE:

To watch the game live, visit https://web.playsight.com/facility/emmanuel-college-go/home