Delaware Women’s Soccer Braves the Weather and Heads to JMU/Fairfield Inn by Marriott Tournament
Aug. 25, 2011
File Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
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HARRISONBURG, Va. – Playing in rainy weather will be nothing new for the 2011 edition of the University of Delaware women’s soccer team.
After opening its season in a weather-shortened loss to La Salle University this past weekend, the Blue Hens will look to brave the predicated poor weather up and down the east coast this weekend.
Heading to a familiar site in the 1,860-seat James Madison University Soccer Complex, Delaware (0-1-0) will be one of four teams participating in the JMU/Fairfield Inn by Marriott Invitational on Friday and Sunday.
Delaware kicks off the classic-style tournament on Friday, taking on Stony Brook at 5 p.m. after a rest day, the Hens will square off with Big East foe Pittsburgh on Sunday at 11 a.m.
All the tournament games will have a live statistical feed, which can be accessed by visiting JMUSports.com or clicking here.
Looking for Number 200:
Delaware head coach Scott Grzenda, now in his 22nd year as the only women’s soccer coach the Hens have ever known, has tallied 194 career wins and needs just six to reach the 200-victory plateau. Should he do that this season, he will become the 41st NCAA Division I head coach to reach the mark.
Scouting Delaware:
Delaware returns its top two scorers from last season in Ali Miller (6g, 5a, 17p) and Shannon Kearney (5g, 2a, 12p). And while the Hens have not found the back of the net in 2011, Miller (above at right) once again leads the team in shots with three, putting all of her attempts on cage.
Two other Blue Hens have put 100 percent of their shots on goal, with Dianna Marinaro taking two and Amy Pickard with one attempt.
In goal so far in the young season has been senior Breanna Stemler, who was working a 318-minute shutout streak until early in the second half of the La Salle game. In 2011, Stemler has stopped two shots and looks to continue to climb the UD record book for career saves, where she is currently ranked eighth with 118. She needs 43 to catch her predecessor, Annie Bevan, who made 159 stops from 2006-09.
Scouting Stony Brook:
Delaware holds an all-time record of 3-2-0 against the Seawolves. The two teams have not met since the 2004 season and a neutral site favors the Hens, who are 2-0-0 against the Seawolves when the game is not played in Newark, Del. or Stony Brook, N.Y.
Stony Brook improved to 1-0-0 on the season with a comeback win over near-by foe Iona College.
Caitlin Pfeiffer tallied Stony Brook’s first goal of 2011, but it was Sa’sha Kershaw who stole the spotlight, scoring the game-winner just three and a half minutes after Pfeiffer. The Seawolves climbed out of a 1-0 first-half deficit to win 2-1, with both goals coming in the second half.
Chelsea Morgan has played all 90 minutes of Stony Brook soccer so far this season. In the lone game of the year, she made two saves against three shots on goal.
Scouting Pittsburgh:
This will be the first-ever meeting between Pittsburgh and Delaware.
The Panthers have already logged two games this season and bring a 0-1-1 record to Harrisonburg. Friday’s game will be their first neutral site game of the year, having tied Eastern Michigan 2-2 at home but fell 2-0 to Ohio on the road.
Katelyn Ruhe is the leading point getter at three, putting in one goal and tallying an assist. She is followed closely by Ashley Cuba, who accounts for Pittsburgh’s only other goal of the season. The two have combined for 10 shots, with Ruhe attempting six and Cuba with four.
With a double overtime game already logged this season, Kristina Rioux has 200 minutes of action under her belt in goal. She has turned aside 11 opponent shots on goal (73.3 percent) and has a goals against average of 1.80.
