FOLEY, Ala., November 8, 2018 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's soccer team will head into the 2018 NJCAA Div. I Women's Soccer Championships as one of the top teams in the tournament, as the Mustangs earned the No. 2 overall seed for the 12-team tournament, which will take place at the Foley Sports Complex in Foley, Ala., from Nov. 12-17.
2018 NJCAA DIV. I WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
Tournament Central
Bracket
Where:
Foley Sports Complex
Foley, Ala.
When:
Monday, Nov. 12 – Saturday, Nov. 17
Pool Play:
MUSTANG LEADERS
Maria Santin tallied nine points across two games at the Northeast District Championships to take over the team lead with 44 points on the season. She also leads the Mustangs with 21 goals, the most goals by a student-athlete since Aline Delima scored 23 in 2015.
Juliana Pires is second on the team with 42 points on 17 goals and eight assists.
Yolanda Albalat has a team-high 10 assists on the season, while
Laia Munoz Danon and
Francesca Sullivan match Pires' total of eight assists this year so far. Munoz Danon adds 12 goals for a total of 32 points.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Marta Alemany has had a stellar season in net for the Mustangs. She stands at 12-0-1 with a 0.86 goals-against average and .756 save percentage. Alemany has also earned two shutouts this season. She has allowed just a single goal in her last seven starts, a second-half score by Essex County College in the semifinals of the Northeast District Championships.
As a team, the Mustangs are averaging 6.38 goals per game, which stands fourth in the NJCAA this season. Their 25.3 shots per game are third in the NJCAA.
As a team, the Mustangs are averaging 6.27 goals per game, good for fourth in the nation this year. Their 25.3 shots per game are third in the NJCAA. The team's 83 goals through 13 contests this season are already 58 more than last year's 25.
HOW WE GOT HERE
The Mustangs went unbeaten through the regular season, including a pair of victories over Region XV foe ASA College, earning them the 2018 Region XV Championship and a spot in the Northeast District Championship tournament.
The 2018 regular season included a number of big wins for Monroe. In the season-opening tournament at CCBC Essex, the Mustangs dropped then No. 8-ranked Harford Community College by a score of 9-1. They followed that up the following week with a 3-2 road victory over No. 4 Daytona State College.
The Mustangs visited Rochester, N.Y. the following weekend for back-to-back matchups with No. 10 Monroe Community College and No. 1 Eastern Florida State College. The Mustangs handled Monroe Community College with a 6-3 victory, before playing to a 2-2 draw with top-ranked Eastern Florida State.
The Mustangs faced off with tournament host Essex County College in the semifinals of the Northeast District Championships. The Mustangs used an early lead to eventually capture a 4-1 win and move on to the championship game against No. 17-ranked Harford. The Mustangs scored in the third minute of the championship game and never looked back, rolling to a 10-0 win to claim the 2018 Northeast District Championship crown and an automatic bid into the NJCAA Div. I Women's Soccer Championship.
POOL B COMPETITION
#7 Lewis & Clark – 18-0-0 – No. 6 in Final NJCAA Rankings
The Trailblazers of Lewis & Clark Community College have had an impressive run this season, taking a perfect 18-0-0 record into the NJCAA Championships. The Trailblazers earned the automatic bid into the national tournament by winning the Region XXIV Title, and subsequently the Central District Championship.
Lewis & Clark defeated Southwestern Illinois, 1-0, to take home the region championship, but both teams qualified for the Central District Championship tournament. The Trailblazers defeated Motlow State, 8-0, in the district semifinals, and took on Southwestern Illinois in a rematch the next day, this time for the district crown. The Trailblazers came out on top once again, this time by a score of 5-1, to earn their way into the national tournament.
The Trailblazers have been dominant this season on both sides of the field, outscoring opponents by ludicrous 119-4 margin through 18 games. Their 119 goals and 6.61 goals per game average both rank third in the NJCAA this season, while their goals-against average of 0.31 is No. 1 in the nation. The Trailblazers have also accumulated the most assists (115) and second-most points (353) in the country.
Lewis & Clark's Boitumelo Rabale leads the team with 68 points and 28 assists this season. Her 28 assists are third most in the NJCAA. Her 20 goals are tied with Kassidy Louvall for the team lead. Louvall is tied with Megan Pierce for second on the team with 44 total points, as Pierce adds 16 assists and 14 scores. Goalkeeper Mercedes King has made 17 starts this season, and owns a perfect 17-0-0 record with a 0.27 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage. Her save percentage is second in the nation, while her goals-against average tops the list.
#11 Butler – 18-4-0 – No. 9 in Final NJCAA Rankings
The Grizzlies from Butler fought through a challenging schedule this season to eventually become champions of the Plains District. The Grizzlies lost just four games this season, three of which came at the hands of teams that have also qualified for the NJCAA Championships (No. 1 Tyler, No. 3 Iowa Western, No. 9 Laramie County).
The Grizzlies did not allow a goal throughout the Plains District Championship Tournament, shutting out Rose State, 5-0, before defeating Hill College, 2-0, to claim the Plains District crown.
As a team, the Grizzlies have netted 76 goals this season, 21st most in the NJCAA. Aggressive on offense, Butler has attempted the seventh most shots in the nation with 421. The Grizzlies also produced the seventh-most shutouts this season with 12.
Elise Leidersten leads the Grizzlies with 66 points, 25 goals and 16 assists this season. Her 66 points are 13th-best in the NJCAA. Paige Achey has totaled 55 points with 20 goals and 15 assists on the season. Bethany Reeves started all 22 games for Butler this season, going 18-4 with a 0.82 goals-against average and a .771 save percentage.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 27 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at
www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (
Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (
@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
