Oct. 5, 2006

Wagner and LIU Come to Campus Field... The Pioneer women's soccer team got a 1-1 start to the Northeast Conference schedule last weekend and will welcome Wagner and Long Island to Campus Field for a pair of key conference match-ups. SHU got off to a strong NEC start with a 2-0 win at the Mount but faltered at Monmouth, 3-1.

Series vs. Wagner... Sacred Heart leads the all-time series, 7-0. SHU is 3-0 at home and 4-0 in Staten Island, New York. The Pioneers have outscored the Seahawks 14-2 in their seven meetings. SHU needed double overtime in 2002 to beat Wagner 1-0 at home.

Series vs. Long Island... The Pioneers lead the all-time series, 4-3-1 but are winless in the last two meetings. LIU posted a 1-0 win at home last season and earned a 1-1 tie with SHU on Campus Field in 2004. The Sacred Heart wins came in 2003 (1-0), 2002 (3-1) and 2000 (1-0).

Scouting the Seahawks... The Wagner women's soccer team has struggled this season going winless in 10 games. The team has been outscored 37-5 on the year and have been shutout in their last three games. The Seahawks are coming off a 3-0 loss to Columbia last time out and dropped a 6-0 decision to Long Island in their NEC opener. Danielle Sheehan leads the team with two goals while Stephanie Burnett, Lizzie Wood and Diane Gantenhammer each have a goal apiece.

Scouting the Blackbirds... The Blackbirds are 4-6-1 on the year and 1-0 in the NEC after a 6-0 win at home over Wagner last time out. LIU has posted 22-straight wins at home but have to travel to Fairfield where they have never won going 0-2-1 since 1999. Aly Hanson is the team and NEC with six goals on the season. Christinie Gans has a score to her credit but has passed out five helpers as well, a mark that is second in the NEC. Stephanie Kansky has started 10 games and played the majority of minutes in goal posting a 1.65 goals against average.

Last Time Out... The Sacred Heart women's soccer team were handed a 3-1 loss at Monmouth Sunday afternoon in Northeast Conference action. Junior Amy Hoyer put the Hawks on the scoreboard first, just 3:48 into the contest, as freshman Shannon Rogers used a long throw in, which was flicked on to Hoyer by fellow rookie Alessandra DeTata for the score. Junior Brittani Heller pushed the Monmouth advantage to 2-0 in the 17th minute as her free kick from 25-yards away found its way around the Sacred Heart wall, and into the far netting. Monmouth's edge grew to 3-0 at 73:33 when freshman Andrea Lopez made a run down the left flank and found sophomore Illiana Blackshear in the box for her third score. Sacred Heart responded with a score 35 seconds later to trim the lead to 3-1. SHU leading-scorer Britney Dupee sent a cross in from the right side which was nodded in by freshman Christina Soave at 74:08. The Hawks out shot the Pioneers 19-12 in the match, and enjoyed an 11-4 edge in corner kick opportunities. Sophomore Katie Buffa made five saves in goal for the Hawks, while SHU's Ashley Mocarski was forced to make three saves for the Pioneers.

Gametracker... Fans can follow all the action of select women's soccer games this season by visiting SacredHeartPioneers.com and clicking on the Gametracker link on the Women's Soccer Schedule page. All Pioneer home games will feature the Gametracker feature this season.

Up Next... The Pioneers are on the road for three key games in the heart of the Northeast Conference schedule. SHU will travel to Fairleigh Dickinson, defending champion Central Connecticut and Quinnipiac.

Mocarski Shuts-Out the Mount... Senior goalkeeper Ashley Mocarski, who has played every minute in the net this season, picked up her first shutout win of the season, 2-0, at Mount St. Mary's. She now owns eight shutouts in her four-year career, a mark that is third in the SHU record book. This season, Mocarski has 84 saves.

Dupee Fuels the SHU Offensive Attack... Sophomore Britney Dupee leads the team with three goals and an assist on the year. Dupee's three goals have all come in both SHU wins this season including the game-winner against Holy Cross (3-2).

Tough Schedule... The Pioneer's schedule features five teams that participated in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette, Hostra, Boston College and Central Connecticut all made it to the NCAA's in 2005. This season, BC, UW-Milwaukee, Marquette, Maine, Colgate, St. John's, Brown, Hofstra and Monmouth are all currently ranked in the regional polls.

Pioneers in the Northeast Conference... Sacred Heart begins it's seventh season of play in the Northeast Conference this fall. The Pioneers own an NEC title, the 2001 championship won at St. Francis-PA in Loretto, Pennsylvania. SHU beat Quinnipiac, 2-1, in overtime in the semifinals and beat UMBC, 1-0, for the title. The Pioneers are currently riding a five-year streak of NEC tournament appearances, the longest active streak in the league.

Program History... This is the Pioneer's 15th year of competition and their seventh in the Northeast Conference. Sacred Heart has qualified for the NEC Tournament five straight seasons and won the 2001 championship qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. SHU posts a 58-67-16 since joining the ranks of Division I in 1999. The Pioneers are 41-24-11 in league play in their six seasons in the NEC. Sacred Heart is 88-118-18 in their 15 years of competition.