Mids Face Top-Seeded Colgate At Patriot League Women's Soccer Tournament

11/1/2000 - Women's Soccer
Mids Face Top-Seeded Colgate At Patriot League Women's Soccer Tournament

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Nov. 1) - Fourth-seeded Navy will face top-seeded Colgate at the 2000 Patriot League Women's Soccer Championship Saturday at Van Doren Field in Hamilton, N.Y. The Mids (10-8-2/3-2-1) will take on the Red Raiders (10-8/4-2) in the first game contested in the tournament beginning at 12:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the 3 p.m. game pits second-seeded Holy Cross (8-10-1/3-2-1) against third-seeded Bucknell (8-8-1/3-2-1). The winners of Saturday's contests will square off for the league championship Sunday at 1 p.m. for the right to advance to the NCAA Championship.

Going into the tournament, the Mids own a 3-5 record in Patriot League Tournament action and are winless in four meetings against Colgate in postseason play. It marks the first time in four years that Navy will not face Army in first-round action. Ironically enough, the last team the Mids faced in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament that was not Army was Colgate in 1996. Navy lost that contest, 3-0, in Hamilton, N.Y. The Mids, however, have played in the Patriot League Championship Game in each of the last two years.

Navy, though, has momentum on its side heading into Saturday's contest. Navy owns an eight-game unbeaten streak with two ties factored in among six victories. One of those wins was a 2-1 decision over Colgate - just the second win Navy has achieved over the Red Raiders in 11 meetings.

"This is what we've prepared for all season," said Navy head coach Carin Gabarra. "It's up to us to play our game and stay mentally tough and focused. Playing at Colgate presents a challenge for us, but it's nothing we haven't faced before."

Indeed, the majority of Navy's lineup has played at Colgate in prior seasons, fielding veteran players like senior starters Margaret Ewers (Danville, Calif.), Julie Faulkner (Kingwood, Texas) and Sarah Wilson (Moon Township, Pa.). Navy will rely upon those three to anchor the defensive side of the field, while junior midfielder Justine Fisher (Tucson, Ariz.), the Mids' leading scorer the last two seasons, will add the firepower to the offense. Fisher owns a team-high 12 goals and seven assists. Her 12 goals ranks third on the Mids' all-time single-season goals scored chart and her seven assists are sixth on the leaderboard.

Meanwhile, freshman Stacy Finley (Alamo, Calif.) has stepped up her game, scoring six goals and adding two assists in the latter portion of the schedule. Look for her to complement Fisher as a scoring threat.

Junior Vanessa Solon (Boca Raton, Fla.) has been Navy's playmaker, accounting for a team-high nine assists, while contributing two goals. Solon's nine assists this season is Navy's third-best assist count in a single season, while her 20 assists over the past three years ranks fourth on the Navy charts.

Colgate owns a 10-8 mark and is led by sophomore goalkeeper Jenny Molina who has surrendered just two goals in five league games this season (0.44 goals-against average). She also owns a league-best 94.7 save percentage. Offensively, the Red Raiders are led by senior Sena Maziarz who has fired in 11 goals and added five assists in 18 games.

Note: The bracket for the 2000 Division I Women's Soccer Championship will be announced live at 10 p.m. Eastern Sunday on Home Team Sports (DirecTV Channel 629 / Dish Network Channel 424) and Empire Sports (DirecTV 626 / Dish Network 432) or via C Band satellite. The satellite coordinates are C Band, Telstar 5, Transponder 24, Downlink Frequency 4180 MHz (H).