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Loyalsock girls state soccer champs

HERSHEY Loyalsock put just one shot on goal during Saturday's PIAA Class AA soccer championship.

That's right, just one. As in just one more than none. Or 10 fewer than Springdale put on the Lancers' goal.

But that one shot on goal, courtesy of a header from Sarah Heilenman and a crossing pass by Marlee Hibbs, was all the Lancers needed to capture the school's first-ever state soccer championship yesterday at Hersheypark Stadium with a 1-0 win over District 7 champion Springdale.

Loyalsock (21-4-1) finishes the best season in school history having won 21 of its last 23 matches.

"You come in, drive here, come to the game, prepare as much as possible for the game, then all of a sudden it's the game, and boom, the game's over and you win a championship," Loyalsock head coach Kyle Bidelspacher said. "It's so surreal, the words can't describe it." more

Goalkeeper Morie Kephart Ties Season and Career Shutout Records

PITTSBURGH--Pitt junior goalkeeper Morie Kephart tied school records for season shutouts and career shutouts with a 0-0 tie on Thursday against South Florida.

Kephart registered her fifth shutout of the season, tying the season record held by both Nicole Bashor (1997) and Jamie Pelusi (2004). It marked her 10th career shutout which ties fellow recordholders Bashor (1997-99) and Pelusi (2001-04). Pitt still has eight games remaining on the schedule.

Playing a key role in Kephart's two records is Pitt's backfield which has helped yield just five goals on the year, a mark which ranks tied for second in the Big East. The backfield, consisting of junior Kat Weiler, junior Rebecca Fraser, senior Maura Caslin, sophomore Brittany Pfaff and freshman Abby Baldys is enjoying a productive season. Weiler and Baldys have started and played every minute of every game thus far this season. more
 

Freshman goalkeeper Lauren Smedley is Brine Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week
EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette women's soccer goalkeeper Lauren Smedley worked long minutes and extended her shutout streak to over 300 minutes, thus being named this week's Brine Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week.

Smedley began her week by shutting out Saint Peter's on Tuesday evening. She recorded nine saves as the Leopards earned a draw with the Peahens despite outshooting them 17-14.

Three days later, she was an integral part to a 1-0 Leopard victory over NJIT. She used help from the Lafayette defense, only forcing Smedley to make three saves in the victory. Junior forward Stephanie Bereday took care of the offensive end, scoring a 43rd minute goal from sophomore Dana Moyer for the game's only goal. more
 

Matlack, Sutton Honored After Successful Week

A pair of Bucknell women's soccer student-athletes were honored on Monday for their roles in the team's best week of the season thus far. Junior forward Christa Matlack was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week following a five-point performance in Sunday's win at Cornell, and senior goalkeeper Kathryn Sutton was selected as the Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week after a sensational showing against Penn State that helped her break the Bucknell career shutouts record.

 Last Wednesday before a large crowd at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium, Sutton backstopped the Bison to a scoreless tie against a high-powered Penn State team that had been ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation earlier in the year. It was Bucknell's first point in 14 all-time meetings with the Nittany Lions, and it would not have been possible without a spectacular effort from Sutton. more

Late Goal Lifts Massachusetts Past Dukes 1-0

PITTSBURGH - Massachusetts' Syndey Stoll in the 87th minute to end a scoreless tie and give the Minutewomen a 1-0 victory at Rooney Field.

The Dukes fall to 3-6-0, 0-2-0 on the season heading into next weekend's match at St. Bonaventure.

DU had several scoring chances while registering 17 shots in the match. Morgan Herbert and Kristin Vinicky led Duquesne with three apiece.

Herbert almost got the Dukes on the board in the 8th minute, but her header was squeezed between the post by UMass keeper Emily Cota.

DU had possession in UM's end more
 

La Salle Loses to Visiting Richmond, 2-1

PHILADELPHIA - Erin Brennan cut a two-goal La Salle Women's Soccer deficit in half with a tally in the 71st minute and the Explorers had four more shots on goal in the final 20 minutes, however the Spiders held on for a 2-1 victory on Sunday in Atlantic 10 action at McCarthy Stadium.

Richmond (5-5-1, 1-1-0 A-10) took a 1-0 lead into the half, scoring with just 2:32 left before the break. Natalie LeClair crossed a ball from the right side of the field to the near post. Shondel Archer then put the ball into the net for her sixth of the season. more
 

Naeher, Marton Garner Big Ten Women's Soccer Weekly Accolades

PARK RIDGE, Ill. – Senior goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.) and freshman defender Lexi Marton (Aurora, Ontario) each earned Big Ten weekly awards as announced by the conference on Monday afternoon.  Naeher was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Week, while Marton was the first-ever Freshman of the Week.

Naeher and Marton were instrumental in shutting down Virginia’s offense during the Nittany Lions’ 1-0 win on Friday.  Naeher’s four first-half saves keyed the victory including a couple of point-blank shots to preserve the shut out. 

The senior captain earns her first player of the week nod since Oct. 20, 2008 and her fourth overall.  Jessie Davis (Oct. 28, 2008) was the last Nittany Lion to garner Defensive Player of the Week honors).

Marton started and played all 90 minutes of the 1-0 win over Virginia, the only freshman to do so for Penn State.  The freshman central defender keyed the Nittany Lions’ ninth-straight home-opening win and the first shutout in the home opener since a 3-0 win over George Mason. 

Penn State will be back in action on Saturday when they face West Virginia at Jeffrey Field for the Penn State Invitational.  Game time is set for 7:30 p.m., while Connecticut and Brigham Young open the proceedings at 5:00 p.m.

Heidi Sabatura Named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Freshman forward Heidi Sabatura (Lawrenceville, N.J.) has been named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week, it was announced by the league today. In her collegiate debut last week against Temple, Sabatura netted two goals and an assist in a 4-0 victory.

Villanova won its season opener for the ninth straight season and posted a shutout for the fifth year in a row. Sabatura assisted on the game's first goal in the 21st minute with a feed to sophomore Katie Ryan (Wayne, N.J.) and then helped to put the game out of reach with a pair of second-half goals. Her first collegiate goal came in the 67th minute when she beat the Owls goalkeeper on a rebound from point-blank range while appearing to simultaneously get inadvertently hit in the face.

"Heidi shows so much composure in the box and that is why she is able to finish her scoring chances," Villanova head coach John Byford said. "We saw in this game that she is a great passer as well." more

Lions Embark on Quest

The 2009 Penn State women's soccer team reports to camp on Thursday night in Happy Valley. Training begins Friday with an exhibition match set up for Aug. 15 vs. Pittsburgh. Opening Day is Aug. 21 at home against Virginia, a night where Penn State welcomes fans to be apart of the largest crowd in Jeffrey Field history.

2009 Quick Facts

The 2009 season will be viewed by many as a bounce back season despite Penn State capturing its 11th consecutive Big Ten Championship in addition to the 2009 Big Ten Tournament title.

Third-year head coach Erica Walsh returns nine starters from a team that won 16 games, the fewest for a Nittany Lion squad since 1997. After the team's 2008 NCAA First Round exit, sights are turned to 2009 in order to recapture the glory of previous years.  In 2009, the team will have plenty of tools to send the Lions deep in the NCAA Tournament. more

Julie Bell Returns as a National Champion

EASTON, Pa. - When the Lafayette women's soccer team returns to College Hill for preseason camp in a few weeks, sophomore Julie Bell will return a national champion. Bell's club team, the FC Bucks Vipers, was victorious in the U-18 girls national championship game.

Bell's squad became the first girls team from Pennsylvania to claim a U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship, defeating Ohio Elite (OH-S) for the Under-18 Girls Francis J. Kelly Cup.

The game featured only a few scoring chances, but neither side could finish as the first half ended scoreless. Bell's teammate, Madlyn Evans, scored the game's only goal in the 58th minute to give FC Bucks Vipers the 1-0 lead over Ohio. With the win the girls completed their goal of honoring head coach Ed Leigh's son-in-law, fallen Philadelphia police officer John Pawloski, lost in the line of duty this February, for whom the team has been playing all season more

Two Nittany Lions Capture U.S. Youth National Championships
Evans, and Tribbett Lead Teams to National Championship Wins; Evans Earns Golden Boot

July 28, 2009

WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Penn State women's soccer team saw two of its own score national championships at the 2009 U.S. Youth Championships on Sunday at Progin Park. Maddy Evans took home the Golden Boot as the top offensive player in the U-18 division, leading her FC Bucks Vipers team to their first championship, while Krissy Tribbett's Colorado Rush Nike team notched a win in the U-19 division.

Evans, an incoming freshman from Glenside, Pa., scored four goals in four games, including the game winner in a 1-0 victory in the title game. The goal was scored in the 52nd minute.

The Vipers tied for first in their age group, going 2-0-1 as Evans tallied three of the team's seven goals. Her team knocked off Ohio Elite Soccer Academy 1-0, with whom they tied 2-2 in pool play. The Vipers took third in last year's national tournament. more

Trio of Incoming Freshmen Crowned National Champions
Villanova newcomers win US Youth Soccer U-18 national championship

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Three incoming freshmen to the Villanova roster this season will enter preseason camp next week fresh off being crowned national champions at the US Youth Soccer championships in Lancaster, Massachusetts this past weekend. Defender Alexa Carugati (Newtown, Pa.), midfielder/defender Carly Edgcomb (Princeton, N.J.) and forward Heidi Sabatura (Lawrenceville, N.J.) play for the FC Bucks Vipers U-18 squad that captured the national title.

In the team's first game of the championships, Sabatura netted the game-winning goal in the 69th minute of an eventual 3-1 victory over Pleasanton Rage (Calif.). The Vipers then defeated ESC 91 Black (Okla.), 2-0, in their second game before playing to a 2-2 tie against Ohio Elite Soccer Academy. The Vipers twice tied the game against Elite in the second half, including the game's final goal in the 72nd minute. more

FC Bucks girls soccer turns tragedy into triumph

The season started off with tragedy for the FC Bucks Vipers girls soccer team as their coach's son-in-law was murdered.

But it ended in triumph, as they became the first girls team from Pennsylvania to win a US Youth Soccer national championship.

"It's really a storybook ending," said co-captain Taylor Houck, a Chalfont resident.

The end came Sunday in Lancaster, Mass., when a goal by Abington's Maddie Evans in the 52nd minute held up and FC Bucks defeated the Ohio Elite Soccer Academy, 1-0, to win the Under-18 title. more

2009 Pitt Soccer Outlook
July 27, 2009

Pitt enters the 2009 season stronger than ever, returns nine starters and welcomes a diverse group of newcomers to a well-rounded and promising team.

A sense of optimism surrounds Pitt head women's soccer coach Sue-Moy Chin as she enters her seventh year with the program. The 2009 roster offers a perfect balance of both a well-rounded and experienced returning team alongside a promising crew of newcomers. Pitt enters this season with one of the most talented rosters in the program's 13-year history as it welcomes back 19 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's team.

By instilling a tough, defensive-minded mentality, Chin has guided Pitt to appearances in three of the last four Big East Tournaments, most recently in 2008. With its Big East Championship appearance in 2006, Pitt made history with its first-ever back-to-back post-season appearances in school history (2005 and 2006). Following last year's Big East Championship appearance, Chin has guided the Panthers to the most post-season appearances in program history. more

PIAA to eliminate spring championship

The PIAA Board of Control voted Friday to move spring girls soccer entirely to the fall beginning with the 2010-11 school year, an action that makes next spring the last in which the sport will be sponsored by the state athletic organization.

Ordinarily, such a change would require approval on three readings to take effect. But the board instead voted to suspend protocol and to approve the measure in a single vote with the approval of a two-thirds majority because two factors contributed to a greater urgency to act sooner:

??PIAA member schools must submit their enrollment figures for the next two-year cycle (2010-11 and 2011-12) by October, and the new enrollment breakdown is to be released in late November.

??The Suburban One League's decision in May to move girls soccer to the fall means just four districts will offer spring soccer in Class AAA. And of the 548 girls soccer-playing schools in Class AA and Class AAA, just 196 would continue to play in the spring. more

Kate Dylag Named Women's Soccer Assistant Coach

Former N.C. State and Central Michigan assistant joins staff

July 21, 2009

PITTSBURGH - Duquesne women's soccer coach Tim Zundel has named Kate Dylag assistant coach.

Dylag comes to the Bluff from North Carolina State, where she spent two years on the Wolfpack coaching staff as an assistant. Prior to that, she spent four seasons at Central Michigan - she was named assistant coach in 2004 after spending the previous season as a graduate assistant.

Dylag was a standout player at UNC Greensboro. As a Spartan, she was a four-year starter and was named second team All-Southern Conference in 2001 and to Soccer America's Team of the Week in 2000. One of the top teams in the SoCon, UNCG made it to the NCAA Tournament in three of Dylag's four years (1998, 2000, and 2001).  more

Yurkovic named Mid Penn Conference soccer MVP

Central Dauphin senior striker Kate Yurkovic, who netted 14 goals and six assists while sparking the Rams (11-6-0) to a berth in the District 3-AAA girls' soccer playoffs, was named the Mid-Penn Conference's player of the year Monday night at Mechanicsburg High School.

Ticketed for Temple in the fall, Yurkovic was named on 18 of the 24 ballots cast by the Mid-Penn's head coaches. Yurkovic also was one of four players to receive all-state nominations, joining Hershey's Caroline Brown, Trinity's Katie Lenz and Katie Lippert of Red Land.

First-year Cumberland Valley skipper Seth Lehman, whose Eagles (18-3-0) claimed the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division title, was named the Commonwealth's coach of the year and the sprawling circuit's Class AAA coach of the year.more

Temple Women's Soccer Signs Five To National Letters Of Intent

PHILADELPHIA-Temple head women’s soccer coach David Jones has announced that Sara Hatton (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek), Jackie Krostek (Mendham, N.J./West Morris Mendham), Kate Yurkovic (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), Brittany Wollner (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown) and Gillian Kacsuta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Schenley) have all signed on to play at Temple for the 2009 season.

A midfielder, Hatton was a four-year varsity letter-winner for Timber Creek High School, leading her squad to the quarterfinals of the New Jersey state championships as a freshman. She was a First Team All-Conference and All-State selection as a junior and earned Second Team All-Conference honors this past fall.

An All-County and Daily Record Honorable Mention in 2007, Krostek twice led West Morris Mendham to a second place finish in the Iron Hills Conference. A midfielder, she was part of a West Morris squad that won the NJ North 2 Group 3 State Sectional, was a State semi-finalist in 2007 and was a Morris County Tournament semi-finalist in 2006. more

Pennridge blanks Pennsbury 5 to 0
PERKASIE — The coach and players thought they were a little sloppy early on, but it was hard to tell by the end result.

Utilizing a stingy defense, along with pinpoint passing, the Pennridge Rams thumped the Pennsbury Falcons, 5-0, in the opening round of the PIAA District One Class AAA girls soccer tournament Tuesday evening.

The fourth-seeded Rams, who allowed just one shot through the game’s first 60 minutes, advanced to Thursday’s semifinals, where they’ll host fifth-seeded Central Bucks West at a time to be determined. The Bucks defeated 12th-seeded Central Bucks East, 3-2, in double overtime. The loss to Pennridge ended the season for the Falcons.

“Our intent the whole time was to not start slowly,” said Pennridge junior midfielder Tattie DePaolo, who had a pair of second-half goals.

“In the second half we definitely stepped it up and settled down. The whole team was playing together and playing like we can.”

The Rams struck first just over six minutes in when sophomore Bridgette Hess connected with a beautiful shot from about 35 yards out that slipped under the crossbar to make it 1-0. more

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