Oct. 26, 2006

Sacred Heart Pioneers vs. Saint Francis Friday, October 27, 2006 - 3:00 pm EST Fairfield, Conn. - Campus Field

Sacred Heart Pioneers vs. Robert Morris Sunday, October 29, 2006 - 12:00 pm EST Fairfield, Conn. - Campus Field

SHU In Playoff Hunt on Final NEC Weekend... Sacred Heart enters the final weekend of Northeast Conference play sitting one point out of the final playoff spot with two games to go. The Pioneers face Saint Francis on Friday and can jump over the Red Flash in the standings with a win. SFPA is currently tied for fourth in the NEC standings with Quinnipiac, a team SHU beat last weekend 2-0. Sunday will be "Senior Day" with the Pioneers honoring graduating seniors Ashley Mocarski, Lisa Burbige, Randie Quaglia, Kaitlyn Franzese and Lesile Morales before kicking-off against Robert Morris.

Series vs. Saint Francis... The Pioneers have never lost to Saint Francis, holding a 6-0-1 lead in the all-time series. The Red Flash snapped a six-game losing streak last season by playing SHU to a 0-0 scoreless tie at home.

Series vs. Robert Morris... Sacred Heart leads the all-time series 4-3-0. The Pioneers lost 3-2 last season at Robert Morris, snapping a four game winning streak in the series. The Colonials won the first two meeting in 1999 (1-0) and 2000 (2-1).

Scouting the Red Flash... The Saint Francis Red Flash are 3-3-2 in the NEC and are currently tied for fourth in the standings with Quinnipiac, both with 11 points. The Red Flash beat Wagner, 2-0, but lost to Long Island, 2-0, last weekend and close the season at SHU and Fairleigh Dickinson. Saint Francis is lead by Nikki Khanna and Kirsten Hoffsmith who each have nine points on the year. Khanna has scored four goals with an assist while Hoffsmith has three goals and three assists. Defensively, Saint Francis is one of the top teams in the conference, allowing just 16 goals on the season with seven shutouts. Melanie Stockman has a 0.99 goals against average with 63 saves.

Scouting the Colonials... Robert Morris is 2-5-0 in the Northeast Conference and broke a five game losing streak last time out with a 2-0 win over Wagner. The Colonials other conference win came over Central Connecticut at home, 2-1. Three players have three goals this season for Robert Morris. Daneen Stevenato leads the team with three scores and three assists for nine points. Stephanie Kuhn and Hilary Nellis each have three goals as well. Jessica Onufer has started all 16 games and has a 1.61 goals against average with 96 saves.

NEC Tournament... The 2006 Northeast Conference Tournament will take place next weekend, November 3rd and 5th at the site of the highest seed. Two teams have already qualified for the four-team field. Monmouth is currently in first place with a 6-0-1 (19 pts) with Long Island right on their heels at 6-1-0 (18 pts). The Hawks and Blackbirds will face-off on Friday in Brooklyn for the right to host this year's tournament. Central Connecticut is currently third with 14 points (4-2-2) with a game at Quinnipiac left on their slate. CCSU has won the last four NEC titles. Quinnipiac (3-3-2) and Saint Francis (3-3-2) are tied for fourth with 11 points with Sacred Heart one point behind in sixth (10 pts) at 3-3-1. SHU and Saint Francis each have two NEC games left while Quinnipiac and CCSU only play each other.

Last Time Out... Sacred Heart freshman Stina Flodin set up a pair of goals as the Pioneers posted a 2-0 win over Quinnipiac on the road keeping their Northeast Conference Tournament hopes alive. After a scoreless first half, Sacred Heart's Lisa Burbige broke the tie just over four minutes into the second stanza. Burbidge took a Flodin cross from the left side and pushed it past Quinnipiac keeper Sarah Lusto from the top of the 18 yard box into the bottom left corner of the net. Flodin created another goal with just 49 seconds to play as she beat Lusto to a ball along the left sideline and sent a cross to fellow freshman Christina Soave. Soave then beat a streaking Lusto, who couldn't get back into position in time. The shot sailed into the top right corner of the net. Senior Ashley Mocarski made six saves to garner her third shutout of the season. The Bobcats edged the Pioneers in shots, 12-11, while also holding the advantage in corner kicks, 6-2.

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... This weekend wraps up the regular season schedule. If the Pioneers can qualify for the NEC Tournament it will be held next weekend, November 3rd and 5th at the site of the highest seed.

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 60-69-17 since joining the ranks of Division I in 1999. The Pioneers are 43-26-12 in league play in their six seasons in the NEC. Sacred Heart is 90-120-19 in their 15 years of competition.