Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament First Round
#4 Cabrini University Cavaliers (15-3-2, 4-1-1 Atlantic East) vs. #1 Springfield College Pride (11-6-3, 6-3-1 NEWMAC)
Saturday, Nov. 16, 11am
Springfield, MA

Game Day Links: Live Stats, Webcast
Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament Central
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What's at Stake?
The No. 4 seeded Cavaliers find themselves in pod 2, which features top seeded and host Springfield College, No. 2 Rutgers-Newark, and No. 3 FDU-Florham. The Cavs will take on Springfield at 11am, while FDU-Florham and Rutgers-Newark square off at 2pm. The two winners will advance and play on Sunday, November 17 at 12 p.m.

The winners of each pod will go on to compete in the semifinal rounds on Saturday, November 23. The location of each semifinal game has yet to be determined. The tournament will ultimately conclude on Sunday, November 24th at noon.

How Cabrini Got Here?
The Blue and White boast the league's top offense and defense as they average a conference best 2.3 goals per game and allow a just 0.7 goals per game. Their defensive unit in particular has been dominant this season as they have tallied 12 shutouts in 20 games played, including six in a row. Opponents are averaging just over seven shots and two corners per game against the Cavs. 

After navigating their nonconference slate with a strong 8-2-1 record, the Blue and White started slow in league play following a 0-0 draw against Immaculata and a 2-1 loss at Wesley. Cabrini rebounded with a key 2-0 victory over Marywood, however and closed out their regular season with impressive victories over Gwynedd Mercy and Marymount. 

In total, the Cavs outscored their conference opponents 15-2 and held five of six opponents scoreless. 

Following the regular season, the No. 3 seeded Cavs topped No. 6 Marymount 2-0 in the AEC Quarterfinal to advance to a rematch against No. 2 Wesley in the AEC Semi. The Cavaliers avenged their regular season loss to the Wolverines thanks to a 2-0 victory in which the defense didn't allow a shot. Cabrini capped their AEC postseason run with a 2-0 victory over top seeded Marywood University in Scranton, PA. 

How Springfield Got Here?
For the fourth-straight year, the Springfield College women's soccer program earned a spot in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Women's Soccer Championship Tournament. 

This season, Springfield enters the postseason with an 11-6-3 record.  Ranked in the NCAA Division III New England Regional Rankings throughout the season, Springfield bowed out of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship Semifinals to No. 5 MIT. Over the last three years, Springfield's appearances in the ECAC Championship has resulted in a pair of titles for the Pride. 

Springfield features a high scoring offense that averages 2.25 goals per game and a whopping 19.6 shots per game, while their defense has allowed an average of 1.25 goals per game. 

Offensively, the Pride operate through sophomore Kaleigh Dale and junior Sara Swetland. The duo has combined for 59 points, including 25 goals and nine assists. Dale leads the Pride with an impressive 32 points, 13 goals and 82 shots on the year. Her three game winning goals also tie for the team lead with Swetland. 

Springfield utilizes a trio of keepers in net as sophomores Caitlin Normoyle, Bridget O'Connor and Emma O'Sullivan all have started at least six games with O'Connor earning a team high eight starts. O'Connor leads the bunch with 40 saves and a .784 save percentage, while Normoyle carries the lowest goals against average at 1.22. 

Last Meeting: Springfield 2, Cabrini 0 (11/12/2011, Baltimore, MD)
The Cavs and Pride last faced off in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, with Springfield claiming the 2-0 victory. 

Springfield jumped out to the early 1-0 lead following a 14th minute goal from Katie Mantee. The Pride doubled their lead in the 31st minute thanks to a 30 yard strike from Jenelle Jaboda. 

Despite holding Springfield scoreless in the second half, the Cavaliers struggled to mount a comeback thanks to an aggressive Pride defense. 

Cabrini netminder Maddy Edwards recorded five saves in the match, while Sammy Thompson and Lauren Pallister notched the Blue and White's only two shots. 

Cabrini Last Time Out: Cabrini 2, Marywood 0 (11/9/2019, Marywood, PA)
The two teams nearly matched each other on the stat sheet as the Pacers narrowly outshot the Blue and White by a 14-12 advantage, while also edging the Cavs 5-4 in shots on goal. Cabrini, however finished with a decided advantage in corner kicks, attempting eight to the Pacers' three. 

Offensively the Cavaliers were led by freshman Rebekah Cunningham and senior Diana VanSicklewho each netted a goal on a combined three shots. Fellow veteran Katelyn Gilinger tallied a team high three shots, while junior Maria Hagan finished with two. 

Senior Marissa Portelli and junior Brianna Blair, who was named the championship game's Most Valuable Player, each marked the assist column. 

The Cavs opened the game with an aggressive pace as they tallied four shots in the opening 12 minutes of play. Cunningham highlighted the feverish start with her first career goal at the 13 minute mark following a corner kick from Portelli. The rookie one-timed the corner and tucked the ball inside the right post for the early lead. 

Despite a handful of shots throughout the remainder of the first half, the 1-0 lead would hold steady through the intermission. 

The hosts turned up the offensive pressure in the second stanza as they totaled 12 shots across the final 45 minutes, but none were ultimately able to find the back of the net. Instead, it was the Cavs who capitalized on one of just three second half shots to extend their lead in the 55th minute. 

Blair made a terrific run down the right sideline into Pacers' territory and lofted a well placed cross for VanSickle who finished the play for her team leading ninth goal of the year. The strike doubled the Cavs' lead with 35 minutes to play. 

Marywood would make a late run in the closing minutes as they peppered Cavalier netminder Ashley Tutzauer with five shots in the final 10 minutes, but the keeper was up for the task. Tutzauer would finish her day with four saves en route to her sixth shutout in a row. 

Springfield Last Time Out: MIT 3, Springfield 0 (11/7/2019, Cambridge, MA)
The Pride, who came into the game as the No. 4 seed in the tournament, fell to 11-6-3. MIT, who is ranked fifth in the national poll, moved to 18-1-2 and will advance to the NEWMAC Championship final.

In the first half, Springfield came up with timely stops on the defensive end by blocking three scoring chances by the Engineers. At the 27th minute, top-seeded MIT got on the board after a foul in the box resulted in a penalty kick that Emily Berzolla skipped in.

Despite the majority of play taking place in the midfield with both teams battling for possession, Springfield was whistled for another foul in the box in the 42nd minute. Caitlin Normoyle made a diving stop on the bid from Eva Anderson, but Brigette Wang collected the loose ball and slotted home a shot into the back right corner.  Springfield made one final push in the half, as Kellie Smith ripped a shot from the top of the box that just got tipped away from the goal, preserving the 2-0 lead for the Engineers.

The Engineers scored their third strike in the 48th minute as Allie Werner finished off a through ball from Karenna Groff to put the game on ice for the Engineers. 

In total, Springfield was outshot 14-7 and the Engineers owned a 6-2 edge in corner kicks. Normoyle made five saves in the setback, while MIT's Ava Gillikin turned in three stops in the shutout victory. 
 

	TALE OF THE TAPE
No. 4 Cabrini		No. 1 Springfield
15-3-2, 4-1-1 Atlantic East	Record	11-6-3, 6-3-1 NEWMAC
2.25	Goals per Game	2.25
29	Assists	31
16.5	Shots Per Game	19.6
162	Shots on Goal	203
171	Fouls	154
156	Corner Kicks	84
55	Saves	76
.806	Save Percentage	.745
	TEAM LEADERS
Diana VanSickle (9)	Goals	Kaleigh Dale (13)
Katelyn Gilinger (8)	Assists	Kaleigh Dale, Heather Jennato (6)
Katelyn Gilinger (22)	Points	Kaleigh Dale (32)
Alex Garcés (46)	Shots	Kaleigh Dale (82)
Ashley Tutzauer (.813)	Save Percentage	Bridget O'Connor (.784)