Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
Women's Soccer pre-game meeting

PREVIEW: Women's soccer makes NCAA postseason debut against Jefferson

11/18/2021 8:00:00 PM

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College women's soccer team is set to battle with Jefferson University from The College of Saint Rose in the First Round of the 2021 NCAA Division II Championship on Friday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m.

SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE HAWKS (10-6-1, 7-5-1 NE10)
Roster | Schedule and Results | 2021 Statistics | News

JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY RAMS (12-5-1, 8-3-0 CACC)
Roster | Schedule and Results | 2021 Statistics | News

Saint Anselm, the fourth seed in the seven-team East Region bracket, is making its first NCAA Division II Championship appearance in program history. The Hawks are 10-6-1 entering tournament play and finished the NE10 schedule at 7-5-1. Saint Anselm bowed out of the NE10 postseason in the Semifinals, falling to the eventual league champions from Saint Rose on Nov. 11.

The Rams captured their third consecutive Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference title on Nov. 14 in a 2-0 match against Wilmington (Del.). Jefferson earned the automatic bid to postseason play and will be making its fourth consecutive appearance at the NCAA championship. The Rams enter the NCAA Division II Championship with a 12-5-1 record and finished the CACC regular-season schedule at 8-3. Jefferson is the fifth seed in the East Region.

The winner of this First Round contest will advance to the Second Round on Sunday, Nov. 20 and will face the host of the East Regional, Saint Rose.

Fans attending the match are expected to familiarize themselves with the spectator policy at the Plumeri Sports Complex.

Admission to the match will cost $10 for adults, $5 for students with school-issued identification and senior citizens, and $1 for children ages 3-12. Children under the age of two will be admitted for free when accompanied by a paying adult.

SCOUTING SAINT ANSELM
  • Saint Anselm was picked 10th in the 14-team Northeast-10 Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll in August, but entering play on Friday is just one of two NE10 programs still in action. Southern New Hampshire, the No. 3 seed in this year's East Region Championship, was toppled by No. 6 Mercy on Thursday, 1-0.
  • The Hawks found themselves ranked in the East Region throughout the season, according to the United Soccer Coaches East Region Coaches' Polls. Saint Anselm was unranked in the Week Two poll, but broke onto the Week Three poll at No. 10. At the present, the Hawks are the No. 4-ranked team in the region (as of Nov. 9) in what is thought to be one of the highest regional rankings for the program in recent memory.
  • Sophomore Olivia Gotobed (North Andover, Mass.) leads the team with eight goals and two assists for 18 points. Gotobed was named to the NE10 All-Conference Second Team and the All-Rookie Team as well. The sophomore is tied for third in goals and fourth in points when compared to NE10 opponents.
  • Senior Regan Pratt (Newburyport, Mass.) was named to the All-Conference Third Team and to the New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association Division II Senior Bowl after recording four goals and six assists for 14 points. Pratt is tied for the top spot in the conference in assists while ranking second on the team in goals and points. Pratt concluded the regular season with a six-match point streak. During the stretch, Pratt recorded three goals and three assists.
  • Senior Travis Pratt, will join Regan at the NEWISA Senior Bowl - the event traditionally brings together student-athletes from NCAA Division I, II and III colleges in New England for one final game following the conclusion of their last collegiate season. The game will not be conducted due to pandemic-related restrictions and concerns. The Pratt's become the 19th and 20th members of the women's soccer program to be selected to the Senior Bowl.
  • Saint Anselm posted one of the longest shutout streaks in program history earlier this season as they held opponents off the scoreboard for 448:37 minutes. Junior Kathryn White (Georgetown, Mass.) and sophomore Delaney Glode (Kennebunkport, Maine) are both All-Conference Second Team selections this season were integral in the streak and for the Hawks defense who, up to the NE10 Semifinals, had allowed 17 goals in 16 games for a 1.03 goals-against average.
  • Junior Kate Macaluso (Malverne, N.Y.) has started all 17 games for the Hawks this season. She has compiled 63 saves on 178 shots faced. Macaluso has a goals-against average of 1.30 and a save percentage of .741. The junior goalkeeper has six shutouts this season including a 14-save performance against Southern Connecticut State on Oct. 23. She has aided the Hawks to seven shutouts on the year.
  • Saint Anselm began varsity competition in 1984 under the direction of Phil Rowe, who currently serves Saint Anselm as its Associate Director of Athletics. Other coaches include Keith Dickson, the present-day Head Coach of the nationally-ranked Hawks men's basketball team, and Steve Clifford, who most recently served as the Head Coach of the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic.
SCOUTING JEFFERSON
  • The Rams captured their third consecutive CACC title to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Jefferson is the fifth seed in the East Regional and are 12-5-1 on the season. This will be the fourth appearance all-time for the Rams in the NCAA Division II Championship.
  • Laurel Erick leads the team in goals with six and points with 14. She has added two assists on the season to capture the top spot in points. Kiery Spatz has netted five goals and assisted on three others for 13 points. Devin Sullivan is the team leader in assists with five.
  • Sullivan was named the CACC Player of the Year while Erick was named to the Second Team. Joining Sullivan and Erick on the all-conference teams is Payton Cole and Ava Albergo who captured First Team and Second Team defender positions on their respective rosters.
  • The Rams had Liv Riddel and Jackie Martino split time in goal for Jefferson as Riddel started in eight games and holds a .795 save percentage and an 0.99 goals-against average, accumulating 31 saves. Martino sits at an 0.89 goals-against average and a .750 save percentage, making 21 saves in seven starts.
  • All-time in the NCAA tournament, the Rams are 0-3-1 in four appearances. The program suffered a loss to Bridgeport in 2014 before advancing on penalty kicks in 2015 in the First Round over Saint Rose and falling to Adelphi in the Second Round. Most recently, the Rams fell to Stonehill in 2019's First Round.
  • The Rams are coached by Socrates Nicolaidis, in his third season. In his first campaign in 2019, he led the Rams to a 15-6 record and was selected as the CACC Coach of the Yaer for his efforts. In the pandemic-shortened season in 2020, the Rams finished the season with a 7-1 record and were ranked as high as No. 8 in the nation, according to the United Soccer Coaches' poll.
ALL-TIME vs. JEFFERSON
  • The Hawks and Rams have met just two times in the all-time series. Saint Anselm won the opening meeting on August 26th, 2006 by a 5-0 score before Jefferson University, formally known as Philadelphia University, captured a 1-0 win on Sept. 2, 2007.
  • All-time against opponents who are currently in the CACC, the Hawks are 10-2-1. Those teams include Holy Family (2-0-0), Jefferson (0-1-0), Goldey-Beacom (0-0-1), Post (1-0-0), Caldwell (2-0-0), Nyack (4-0-0), Bloomfield (1-0-0), Felician (0-1-0).
  • The last meeting against a CACC opponent came on Sept. 18, 2019 when the Hawks notched a 4-1 win over Post. In 2019, Saint Anselm played three opponents from the CACC and were 2-0-1 in those matches.
Print Friendly Version