Tusculum College will travel to Carson-Newman College Tuesday
night at 6 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Food Lion South
Atlantic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament.
The Pioneers are the seventh seed in the tournament after
completing the regular season with an 8-8-1 overall record and a
3-5-1 mark in SAC play. The Eagles, who shared the regular-season
conference championship with Lenoir-Rhyne and are the two-time
defending tournament champions, are seeded second and carry an 11-6
overall record and an 8-1 SAC record into the postseason.
Both Tusculum and Carson-Newman have won four SAC Tournament
championships, with the Pioneers capturing the crown in 2000, 2001,
2003 and 2005 and the Eagles claiming the title in 2004, 2006, 2008
and 2009.
The teams have met five previous times in the SAC Tournament, with
the Pioneers winning four of the five matches. The Eagles' lone win
came by a 3-2 score in the 2004 championship match, while the last
meeting came in the 2007 quarterfinals and resulted in a 2-1 win by
the visiting Pioneers. Overall, the teams have met 28 times with 13
wins apiece and two ties.
Tusculum and Carson-Newman will be meeting just six days after
their regular-season contest, which the Eagles won 3-2 at Pioneer
Field Wednesday night. The match was tied 1-1 before Carson-Newman
scored goals in the 77th and 82nd minutes to take a 3-1 lead, but
Tusculum came back with a goal in the final 40 seconds to pull
within 3-2 and nearly tied the game in the closing moments.
Sophomore forward Tramicka James has been the catalyst for the
Pioneer offense, scoring 16 goals to rank in the top 10 in the
latest NCAA Division II statistics. Over the last eight matches,
James has tallied 13 goals and three assists for 32 points,
including a pair of hat tricks.
James' 16 goals are tied for sixth on the program's single-season
list, while her 27 career tallies place her in sole possession of
seventh place all-time at Tusculum.
Junior midfielder Michelle Meade has added eight goals and six
assists for 22 points, senior midfielder Courtney Turner has
chipped in with four goals and seven assists for 15 points and
junior forward Patience Leonard has contributed three goals and a
team-high nine assists for 15 points.
Sophomore Rachael Jennings has emerged as the Pioneers' starting
goalkeeper and has a 6-4-1 overall record with three shutouts, a
1.43 goals against average and a .766 save percentage.
Carson-Newman has won eight straight matches since a 2-1 loss to
Lenoir-Rhyne on October 2, including four one-goal wins. Trenna
Howell leads the Eagles in scoring with 12 goals and 28 points,
while Morgan Gruenenfelder has also reached double figures in goals
with 10.
Sarah Tompkins has started 12 of the Eagles' 17 matches in goal and
has a 1.43 goals against average and a strong .798 save
percentage.
In other quarterfinal matches on Tuesday, top-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne
will host eighth-seeded Lincoln Memorial, sixth-seeded Catawba will
travel to third-seeded Wingate and fifth-seeded Mars Hill will
journey to fourth-seeded Newberry.
Quarterfinal winners advance to the tournament semifinals, which
will be held at Manchester Meadows Soccer Complex in Rock Hill,
S.C. on Friday, November 5. The two women's semifinals will be
played at 3 p.m., and the winner of the Carson-Newman and Tusculum
match will play the winner of the match between Catawba and Wingate
while the Lenoir-Rhyne/Lincoln Memorial winner will play the winner
between Mars Hill and Newberry.
The women's tournament championship will be Sunday, November 7 at 1
p.m. at Manchester Meadows Soccer Complex. The championship match
will be videostreamed live over the Internet.
Admission to all Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament
events is $5 for adults and $2 for college students and children 13
and under.
Fans showing their Food Lion MVP card can save $1 off the adult
admission price. Also, the South Atlantic Conference is collecting
new, unused soccer balls, footballs or basketballs during the
semifinals and championships in conjunction with WRHI's Toys for
Happiness campaign for Christmas gifts for underprivileged
children. Fans donating a ball will receive two complimentary
admissions.
Tuesday, November 2
Food Lion SAC Tournament
quarterfinals
At higher seed
No. 8 Lincoln Memorial at No. 1 Lenoir-Rhyne, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Tusculum at No. 2 Carson-Newman, 6 p.m.
No. 6 Catawba at No. 3 Wingate, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Mars Hill at No. 4 Newberry, 3 p.m.
Friday, November 5
Food Lion SAC Tournament
Semifinals
At Manchester Meadows, Rock Hill,
SC
Lenoir-Rhyne / Lincoln Memorial winner vs. Newberry / Mars Hill
winner, 3 p.m.
Wingate / Catawba winner vs. Carson-Newman / Tusculum winner, 3
p.m.
Sunday, November 7
Food Lion SAC Tournament
Championship
At Manchester Meadows, Rock Hill,
SC
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.
Pioneers set to battle Carson-Newman in SAC quarterfinals
Posted: Nov 01, 2010
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