Nov. 2, 2006

Sacred Heart Pioneers vs. Long Island Friday, November 3, 2006 - 11:00 am EST Brooklyn, N.Y. - LIU Field

2006 Northeast Conference Tournament @ Long Island

#1 Long Island vs. #4 Sacred Heart - 11:00 am

#2 Monmouth vs. #3 Central Connecticut - 1:30 pm

Visit www.NortheastConference.org for tournament information, gametracker links and directions to Long Island University

Pioneers Open their Playoff Run Friday at LIU... The Sacred Heart women's soccer team closed the regular season with three-straight wins and are now poised to repeat history heading into this weekend's Northeast Conference Tournament. After an 0-8 start where they where outscored 27-2, the last place many would have the Pioneers headed at season's end would have been the NEC playoffs. But come Friday morning, that is just where SHU will find themselves and peaking at the right time to boot. The Pioneers locked up their sixth-straight playoff berth by winning their last three matches of the season via shutout, extending the longest active streak in the league for tournament appearances. There also is somewhat of a precedent as the Pioneers won their lone NEC championship in 2001 after entering the tourney with a sub-.500 record as the #4 seed. SHU will open their tournament run facing the top-seed and host Long Island Blackbirds, a team they haven't beaten since the 2003 season, a 1-0 win in the first round of that season's playoffs at Central Connecticut.

NEC Tournament History... This is Sacred Heart's sixth-straight trip to the Northeast Conference Tournament, the longest active streak in the league. SHU is 4-2-2 in their five appearances in the postseason. The Pioneers have been the #5 seed on four occasions, including this year, and the #2 seed once. SHU claimed the NEC title in 2001 as a #4 seed, beating the top-seed Quinnipiac, 2-1 in double overtime and UMBC, 1-0, at Saint Francis (PA). In 2002, SHU was the #4 seed and faced top-seed and host Central Connecticut, 1-0. In both 2003 and 2004, the Pioneers advanced to the championship game before falling at the hands of the Blue Devils on penalty kicks. In 2003, their year as a #2 seed, SHU beat Long Island, 1-0, in the opening round and played CCSU to a 0-0 double overtime tie. The Blue Devils won the title via a 6-5 advantage in the PK shootout. In 2004, the #4 seeded Pioneers upset top-seed and host Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round, 2-1 to advance to the title game against Central for the second-straight year. This time, the two team played to a 1-1 double overtime tie with the Blue Devils claiming their third-straight title, 4-1, on penalty kicks. Last season, as the #4 seed the Pioneers faced Central for the fourth-straight season, falling 2-0 in New Britain.

Series vs. Long Island... The all-time series is tied, 4-4-1 with the Pioneers going winless in the last three meetings. LIU posted a 1-0 win in Fairfield on October 8th this season. Last year, the had a 1-0 win at home last season and earned a 1-1 tie with SHU on Campus Field in 2004. Sacred Heart wins came in 2003 (1-0), 2002 (3-1) and 2000 (1-0).

Scouting the Blackbirds... The Long Island Blackbirds finished the regulars season with the league's best mark at 8-1, earning the right to host this season's tournament. The Blackbirds closed the season with four-straight wins after having their 23 game home winning streak snapped by Central Connecticut, 1-0, on October 15th. Aly Hanson is the team's leader offensively, scoring eight goals with an assist on the year. Christine Gans is the team's playmaker, assisting on a team-best eight goals this year. In goal, Stephanie Kansky has a 1.07 goals against average with 74 saves.

Last Time Out... Senior Leslie Morales scored the game-winner and senior Ashley Mocarski made five saves to preserve the shutout as the Sacred Heart Pioneers qualified for their sixth-straight trip to the Northeast Conference Tournament with a 1-0 win over Robert Morris. With wind gusts blowing at 30 mph, the Pioneers won their third-straight game in the regular season finale. SHU broke through in the 24th minute on a great individual effort by Morales. The senior forward collected a ball near midfield and broke away from the pack down the left flank. She beat her defender and had a wide open look at 15 yards out. She curved a beautiful arching shot that tucked inside the top right corner of the goal to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead. It was Morales's second goal on the season and her first game-winner. The Pioneers finished with a 14-9 advantage on shots and a 3-2 edge on corners.

Mocarski Named Brine/NEC Player of the Week... Senior Ashley Mocarski earned the Brine/NEC Player of the Week award for Mocarski posted a pair of shutouts last week as Sacred Heart qualified for NEC Tournament play for the sixth straight season, the longest current streak in the conference. She needed to make only one save as the Pioneer defense clamped down in a 2-0 win over Saint Francis (PA) on Friday. Needing a win on Sunday to assure itself of a playoff berth, Sacred Heart claimed a 1-0 victory over Robert Morris. Mocarski stopped all five shots she faced in the second half as the Pioneers protected a precarious one-goal lead. The Stratford, CT native has played every minute in net for the Pioneers this season and ranks second in the conference with five shutouts, including three straight to close out the regular season.

Gametracker... Fans can follow all the action of this weekend's women's soccer games by visiting SacredHeartPioneers.com or NortheastConference.org and clicking on the Gametracker link on the Women's Soccer Schedule page.

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 62-69-17 since joining the ranks of Division I in 1999. The Pioneers are 45-26-12 in league play in their six seasons in the NEC. Sacred Heart is 92-120-19 in their 15 years of competition.