University of Delaware Athletics
Hens Ready To Keep Rolling in CAA Games, At Mason Fri., Towson Sun. (Oct. 20, 2011)
10/20/2011 2:12:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Delaware (7-5-3 overall, 3-2-2 CAA) will travel to Farifax, Va. for a Friday night matchup with George Mason at 6 p.m. On Sunday, The Hens make the short jaunt to Towson to take on the Tigers at 1 p.m.
Media:
For links to live stats for both games, as well as live video for the George Mason game, please visit Delaware's women's soccer page at BlueHens.com and navigate to the schedule/results page. Links for each game will be in the Multimedia Column on the right of the schedule. Please note the George Mason's video stream is pay-per-view.
A Win This Weekend:
A win in either game this weekend would guarantee the Blue Hens a .500 or better season for the first time since 2005 when Delaware went 10-6-4 and reached the CAA semifinals.
A Win this weekend would give 22nd-year head coach Scott Grzenda his 202nd career win, moving him one step closer to catching his former coach and UD Athletics Hall of Famer Loren Kline, who holds the school record for men's or women's soccer at 208 from 1963-92.
She Can Score in Bunches:
Senior forward Amy Pickard tallied two goals in Sunday's draw with James Madison to earn Delaware one point in the CAA standings. That was the second time this season Pickard hard found the net multiple times in one game. Her first two-goal game of the year was against Siena in a 4-1 Delaware victory.
Pickard's first career two-goal game came on Sept. 7, 2008 as she scored both markers in a 2-0 win over Winthrop in her sophomore season.
With her two goals on Sunday, Pickard moved in to sole possession of sixth place in UD history with 23 career tallies. She now has 54 points in her career (23g, 8a), good enough for seventh in the point standings.
Around the CAA:
Coming into this weekend, the six spots in the CAA tournament are still up for grabs.
William & Mary is the clear frontrunner at 8-0-0 in the league, collecting 24 points. The Tribe are trailed by Northeastern and James Madison, which each have 13 points at 4-3-1 in conference. George Mason and VCU have amassed 12 points apiece with 3-2-3 records in CAA games. Delaware sits in a tie for sixth with Drexel, each school earning 11 points.
But the Blue Hens have played one less conference game then 10 of the other league opponents. Delaware's Sept. 23 game against UNCW was postponed until Oct. 28 in a game that will be played at VCU at 2 p.m.
The Series: George Mason
Delaware and George Mason have squared off 11 times since their first meeting in 2001. All-time against the Patriots, Delaware is 4-6-1, but has controlled the series as of late, winning four of the last six games.
At George Mason Stadium, Delaware is 1-3-1 with the Hens' last win in Fairfax coming in 2007.
Against George Mason, Amy Pickard has tallied five career points, stemming from two goals and a helper. During her rookie campaign in 2007, Pickard scored one goal and had an assist. Her second goal came at home in a 3-0 victory.
In goal, Breanna Stemler has a 1-1-1 record against Towson. In those three games, she has allowed just one goal and made 12 saves.
The Series: Towson
Delaware has dominated the series against the Tigers, holding a 12-6-1 all-time record against a team the Hens have faced more times than any other. The Hens have split their results against Towson on the road, holding a 4-4-1 mark at Towson Center Soccer Complex.
Sunday's game will be the 17th-straight season Towson and Delaware have clashed, dating back to when both teams were members of the North Atlantic Conference, which eventually became America East.
Since 2002 when both teams became members of the CAA, Delaware's record against Towson is 6-2-1.
In each of the last two seasons, Ali Miller has scored a goal against Towson, including the game-winner in a 1-0 victory at Delaware Mini-Stadium last season.
Scouting the Hens: (As of Oct. 20)
Delaware pulled out a pair of ties last weekend, including a 2-2 draw on Sunday against defending conference champion, James Madison.
Amy Pickard scored both goals to vault her to the top of the team's goal scorers and now has eight on the year. Continuing to have the best year of her career, Pickard also has four assists for 20 total points, a career best.
Having bested her freshman point total of 19 (8g, 3a), Pickard is the first 20-point scorer since Caryn Blood had seven goals and six assists in 2002.
Ali Miller is nipping on Pickard's heels in the points column, putting away seven goals and one assist for 15 points. Sophomore Chelsea Duffy is a third member of the team who has double-figure points with 11 (4g, 3a).
In goal, Breanna Stemler has been stalwart this season, making 62 saves against 84 opponent shots on goal (75.5 save percentage). She has been in goal for three shutouts this year.
Scouting the Patriots (As of Oct. 20):
George Mason is 6-5-5 overall and 3-2-3 in the league after playing to a 1-1 draw with Georgia State last weekend. Jazmin Cardoso tied the tilt in the 45th minute and both teams failed to score in the entire second half and double overtime.
Tiana Kallenberger has scored a team-high 16 points with five goals and six assists, including one game-winner. Zoe Doherty is second in points with 12 on five goals and a pair of helpers while Nicole Clark has 10 points on three goals and four assists. Clark leads the team with three of the six game-winner goals.
Lyndsey Hokansen has played in a team-high 1,091 minutes, making 46 saves and allowing just 14 goals. She has three shutouts and carries a goals against average of 1.15, stopping 76.7 percent of the shots she faces.
Scouting the Tigers (As of Oct. 20):
Towson returned to a .500 winning percentage following an overtime 1-0 win over UNCW on Sunday. Katlyn Axenfeld scored the winner on a corner kick from Sofia Read to get Towson to 8-8-0 overall and 3-5-0 in the CAA.
Cheyenne Skidmore is the Tigers' leading scorer, earning nine of the team's 16 assists along with seven goals for 24 points. Emily Banes has amassed 18 points with seven goals and four helpers while Read has 12 points on four goals and four assists. Courtney McKee rounds out the Tigers' double-digit point getters with 11 (4g, 3a).
Between the pipes, Jocelyn Papciak has started all 16 games, playing in 1,431 minutes. She has allowed 30 goals, but has made a league-high 101 saves, ranking her 13th in the country in total saves.
