NCAA Championship Digital Program
The 16th-ranked Emory University women's soccer team will open 2012 NCAA Division III Championship play this weekend, as the Eagles will travel to Danville, Kentucky for the first and second rounds of the tournament. Emory's first round match will be against DePauw University at 7:30 PM on Saturday, November 10th.
Venue Information
The first and second round games will be played at Hillside Field on the campus of Centre College. Admission to each match is free, but a ticket is required to enter site. Tickets will be available on day of event(s) and can be obtained at entrances. A different ticket must be obtained each day.
Coverage
There will be live statistics and a video webcast of the first and second round matches at Centre. Fans can go to the official tournament website for links to the live stats and video, and updated event information.
Emory Eagles
The Eagles will begin tournament play following an 11-1-6 record during the 2012 regular season, including a mark of 0-0-1 in neutral games, and 4-1-4 in all games away from home this season. Emory was ranked 16th in the final NSCAA Division III National Poll, and eighth in the D3Soccer.com poll, in addition to being ranked third in the NSCAA South Atlantic Region poll. Emory qualified for the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid, following a third-place finish in the University Athletic Association (UAA) with a 3-1-3 conference record.
Five of Emory's 11 shutouts during the season have come over the team's last seven games, catapulting the Eagles to 16th in Division III with 0.454 goals-against average and 23rd in the country with a 0.611 shutout percentage. Emory's backline, led by senior co-captain Ashley Kaiser, juniors Lauren Drosick and Lauren Gorodetsky, and sophomore Kaelyn Lucas, has limited opponents to just nine goals this season, coming on an average of six shots and 2.8 shots on goal per game. Senior goalkeepers Erica Stein (6-0-1, 0.57 GAA, .808 save percentage) and Kaele Leonard (5-1-5, 0.41 GAA, .826 save percentage) have led an Eagles' squad that ranks 105th in Division III in save percentage.
Emory's offensive attack has been potent as well this season, ranking 72nd in Division III with 2.56 goals scored per game, and 3.18 goals per game in non-conference games. The Eagles have been led by sophomore Charlotte Butker (four goals and 10 assists), junior Veronica Romero (seven goals and four assists), and junior co-captain Kelly Costopoulos (seven goals and three assists). 15 different players have scored at least one goal this season for Emory, and six Eagles have double-digit point totals. Emory's attack has peppered opponents with 24.8 shots and 10.8 shots on goal per game this season.
Emory is led by head coach Sue Patberg, who has now reached the NCAA Tournament in six of her eight seasons at Emory, and 14 times during her 19-year career, which includes stays at the Division I University of Minnesota and the University of Georgia. She holds a 107-23-23 during her time with the Eagles, good for a .775 winning percentage, and a career ledger of 253-111-41. Patberg is assisted by Rachel Moreland and Mike Wentzler.
DePauw Tigers
Despite a 7-10-1 record during the 2012 season (including a 0-2-0 mark in neutral games), the Tigers were able to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships by winning five of their last six games, and claiming the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship and the automatic bid associated with it.
DePauw has scored 16 goals through 18 games this season, for an average of 0.89 goals per game during the year. The team's offense has been led by senior Dana Sprague, who has scored seven of the teams 16 goals, and leads all Tigers with 15 points this year. Junior Angela Cotherman has added on four goals and two assists for 10 points.
Defensively, DePauw has allowed 27 goals in 2012 for a team 1.45 goals-against average, but has recorded three shutouts in its last six games, and allowed more than one goal just once during that stretch. Sophomore goalkeeper Emma Cooper has played in eight games and made six starts this season (including five of the last six games), going 4-2-0 with an 0.75 GAA and a .857 save percentage. Opponents have outshot the Tigers 297-191 this season, including a 125-107 advantage for opposing teams in shots on goal.
The Tigers are coached by John Carter, who has compiled a record of 238-136-23 during his 24-year career with DePauw, and has now qualified for the NCAA D-III Championships seven times, including a 2003 squad that advanced to the national semifinals. Carter is assisted by Megan McCormick.
Matchup History
This will be just the second meeting all-time between the Eagles and the Tigers. The only other game between the two teams took place in Greencastle, Indiana on September 7, 2008, with Emory coming away with a 1-0 win on a 29th-minute penalty kick goal by former Eagle Maya Vankineni.
Emory Notes
The winner of Saturday's game will face the winner of the first-round contest between seventh-ranked host Centre College and Agnes Scott College on Sunday, November 11th at 5:00 PM… The Centre-Agnes Scott first round game will be played at 5:00 PM on Saturday… Emory is 10-11-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament games, including a including a 7-5-1 record under Patberg, and a 4-2-1 mark over the last two seasons… Kelly Costopoulos and senior Merrill Bachouros are Emory's all-time leaders in NCAA Tournament goals with three apiece… Both Costopoulos and Bachouros have scored a game-winning goal during their NCAA Tournament careers… Junior Clare Mullins is Emory's all-time leader with four NCAA Tournament assists and two game-winning assists over her postseason career.
16th-Ranked Eagles Head to Danville, KY for NCAA Tournament
Posted: Nov 07, 2012