Live Stats
Ewing, NJ... The College of New Jersey women's soccer team continues its run through the 2010 NCAA Tournament this weekend as the Lions take on Johns Hopkins University in the sectional round of the tournament being held at top-ranked Messiah College.
Ninth-ranked TCNJ (18-2-1) and the 11th-ranked Blue Jays (18-3-1) kickoff at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Shoemaker Field, while the host Falcons (21-0) and Dickinson College (16-3-2) play at 5 p.m. The winners of those two games will advance to Sunday's Sectional Final at 6 p.m., for the right to move on to San Antonio, Texas where the national semifinals and finals will be held on December 3 and 4.
The Lions were flawless in the opening two rounds of the tournament scoring a pair of shutouts on their home field. TCNJ opened the tournament with a 4-0 win over Christopher Newport and came back the second round with a 3-0 whitewashing of Ithaca College.
By facing the Blue Jays, TCNJ will get a chance to avenge one of its losses as the Lions fell 2-0 in Baltimore in October. Since that game, the Lions have reeled off six straight victories, while outscoring the opposition 17-1 during those games.
Defense has been stellar all season as TCNJ ranks fourth nationally in team defense allowing a mere 0.236 goals per game with 17 total shutouts. Anchoring the back third for the Lions are junior
Nikki Migliori (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert), sophomore
Allison Foy (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert), sophomore Lauren Diogaurdi (Morris Plains, NJ/Parsippany Hills), and freshman
Lauren Giles (Deptford, NJ/Deptford, NJ/Deptford Twp.), while midfielders
Annie McCarthy (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) and
Amy Van Dyk (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) also provide support.
Freshman goalie
Kendra Griffith (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) has settled in between the pipes and ranks fifth in Division III in GAA (0.248) and ninth in save percentage (.907). She also has 13 solo shutouts.
Offensively, the Lions boast a very balanced attack as 12 players have scored at least two goals. Sophomore
Brenna Rubino (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern) heads that group with 12 goals and 26 points, while
Jessica Davila (Middletown, NJ/Middletown) is next with nine goals and 21 points.
TCNJ is making its 20th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and are the all-time leaders in tournament victories with 50.
