FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

South Easton, Mass. – The College of Saint Rose women’s soccer team is ranked first in the East Region, for the fifth consecutive week, in the fifth release of the NCAA Division II regional rankings. The rankings were released by the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Committee.

The Golden Knights are ranked second in the nation for the fifth consecutive week and are among six Northeast-10 institutions ranked in the East Region. The University of Massachusetts Lowell is ranked third, followed by Franklin Pierce University, Merrimack College and Adelphi University, ranked fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, while Stonehill College is ranked tenth.

Saint Rose (19-0-0, 15-0-0 NE-10) defeated the University of New Haven, 1-0, on Sunday, in the quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Championship. Sophomore Brittany Godin (Rochester, N.Y.) scored the winning goal for the Golden Knights, while classmate goalkeeper Susan Cowan (West Boylston, Mass.) recorded eight saves to preserve the shutout. Saint Rose will host Merrimack tomorrow afternoon in the semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship.

UMass-Lowell (12-4-3, 10-3-2 NE-10) is coming off a 1-0 victory against Stonehill College in the quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Championship on Sunday. Senior Kelly Soper (Auburn, Mass.) scored the lone goal in the game. Senior goalkeeper Jamie Gillis (North Billerica, Mass.) made three saves in the win. Tomorrow afternoon, UMass-Lowell travels to Franklin Pierce University for the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Championship.

Franklin Pierce (15-3-1, 12-2-1 NE-10), ranked 19th in the nation, defeated Saint Anselm in the quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Championship, 3-1. Senior Gabriela Demoner (Vitoria, Brazil) and junior Angelika Johansson (Falkenberg, Sweden) each scored for the Ravens, with one and two goals, respectively. Sophomore goalkeeper Jocelyn Leon (Lenox, Mass.) made two saves in the win. The Ravens will host UMass-Lowell tomorrow afternoon in the semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship.

Ranked fifth in the region, Merrimack (13-4-3, 10-4-1 NE-10) is coming off a 1-1 tie with Adelphi University in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship. Merrimack advanced to the semifinals on penalty kicks, 5-4. The Warriors are led by senior Gabrielle Gramprey (Brockton, Mass.) with 33 points thus far this season. Senior goalkeeper Brittany Gustafson (East Hampton, Conn.) made ten saves in the match versus Adelphi. Merrimack travels to Saint Rose tomorrow for the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Championship.

Adelphi (10-5-3, 8-5-2 NE-10), ranked sixth in the region, tied with Merrimack, 1-1, on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Championship. The Panther’s leading scorer, junior Brianne McDonnell (Commack, N.Y.) scored the lone goal in the match versus Merrimack, while sophomore goalkeeper Dorothy Connolly (Bethpage, N.Y.) made eight saves.

Ranked tenth in the region, Stonehill (10-8-1, 8-6-1 NE-10) is coming off a 1-0 setback against UMass-Lowell in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship on Sunday. The Skyhawks are led by junior Kirstie St. Martin (Providence, R.I.) who has recorded fourteen goals and five assists on the season, for 33 points. Sophomore Sarah Hickey, (Lee, Mass.), made six saves versus the River Hawks on Sunday.

With 16 member institutions the Northeast-10 shares the distinction of being the largest Division II conference in the country along with the PSAC and WVIAC. Its 23 championship sports provide athletic opportunities for over 5,500 student-athletes, the largest such program of any Division II conference.

-NE-10-

NCAA Division II East Region
1. Saint Rose
2. Bridgeport
3. UMass Lowell
4. Franklin Pierce
5. Merrimack
6. Adelphi
7. Dowling
8. C.W. Post
9. Philadelphia
10. Stonehill