University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Ready to Take on Pair of Philly Schools (Sept. 1, 2011)
9/1/2011 12:03:00 PM | Women's Soccer
PHILADELPHIA –Friday night will begin a pair of weekend games against schools in Philadelphia for the University of Delaware women's soccer team.
The Hens (1-2-0) will take on Saint Joseph's (0-2-0) on Friday at Finnessy Field, beginning at 7 p.m. and then return to the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday night to face the Ivy League's Pennsylvania (0-0-0). That game is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Rhodes Field.
"We are always excited to play local teams,” said Delaware head coach Scott Grzenda. “We recruit against both programs and know a lot of their players. Our kids know them as well, as many played on the same club teams. Both games will be a good test as Saint Joseph's is very competitive in the Atlantic 10 and Penn won the Ivy League last year.”
Media:
Fans unable to attend either game can follow the action with a live stats feed and a video web stream.
All-Time Against the Philadelphia Big Five:
Since the program began in 1990, Grzenda has put together an impressive record over the Philadelphia Big Five, which is comprised of La Salle, Temple, Villanova and this weekend's opponents, Penn and Saint Joseph's.
All-time against the Big Five, Grzenda is 29-18-3, including an unblemished 8-0-0 record against Temple. The Hens hold winning records against Saint Joseph's (8-2-1) and Pennsylvania (6-5-0). Earlier this season, Delaware slipped below .500 against La Salle, with a series record of 6-7-0 after a 2-0 setback. The Hens are 1-4-2 against the Big East's Villanova.
The Series:
The Blue Hens are a combined 14-7-1 against this week's opponents, holding winning records against both schools. The Hens are 5-4-0 in the city of Philadelphia against Saint Joe's and Penn, with a 3-1-0 record at Finnessy Field and a 2-3-0 mark at Rhodes Field.
Delaware first played Saint Joseph's in 1999, falling 3-2. But Delaware bounced back, winning the next eight games against the Hawks, including six shutouts, one of which was a 7-0 rout. The teams haven't met since 2009 when they tied 0-0 at Delaware Mini-Stadium.
Against the Quakers, Delaware is 2-3-0 at Rhodes Field. The Hens have not met Penn since 2002, earning a 1-0 victory at Delaware Mini-Stadium. The last time the Hens played at Pennsylvania, they suffer a 4-2 set back during the 2001 season.
Scouting Delaware:
Pennington and Domingos account for all of Delaware's goals so far in the young season, with two and one, respectively.
Ali Miller sets the pace in shooting, taking 10 attempts, tying her for second in the Colonial Athletic Association, averaging 3.33 shots an outing. Pennington has taken just two shots all season, but made them count, burying both attempts.
In the assist column, sophomore Shannon Kearney, a CAA All-Rookie selection in 2010, has a team-high two helpers, while Leigh Victory and Taylor Thompson each have one. Kearney is tied for fourth in the conference in total assists.
Between the pipes, Breanna Stemler has logged every minute (260:34) for Delaware this season. She is ranked fourth in the conference in saves (13), sixth in saves per game (4.33), tied for third in shutouts (1) and is seventh in the CAA in save percentage (81.2)
Stemler is poised to move up the all-time saves list. She has turned aside 129 shots so far in her career, and needs just 30 more to move into seven place, currently occupied by Stemler's former teammate, Annie Bevan.
Delaware's 3-0 shutout of Stony Brook was the 137th in program history and the ninth of Stemler's. She needs just four more to catch Rachel Bersin's mark of 13, which is fifth all-time at Delaware.
“We had a great week of practice and continue to work on creating scoring opportunities,” said Grzenda. “The team was proud of their play last weekend and how far we've come from preseason”
Scouting Saint Joseph's:
The Hawks will enter Friday's match with a 0-2-0 record, falling 2-1 against local rival Villanova and 2-0 this past weekend at Binghamton.
Maggie Lupinski notched the only Hawks' goal of the season, which came unassisted. Lupinski has taken three shots, all of which have been on goal. Mo Hawkins has the lead in shots, putting up four attempts. Five other Hawks have taken one shot apiece.
Christine Neal has played every minute (180) in goal for Saint Joseph's, making 13 saves against 17 opponent shots on goal, carrying a 76.5 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.00.
The second half does not favor the Hawks, who have allowed three goals in the final 45 minutes, including both of Binghamton's tallies.
Scouting Pennsylvania:
As of Thursday afternoon, the Quakers have not played yet in 2011, but will host UMBC Friday night.
The Quakers are coming off a season in which they reached the NCAA Tournament, falling to Penn State 1-0 in the first round.
Penn went 9-7-2 in 2010, earning a bid into the tournament after claiming the Ivy League title with a 4-1-2 record.
Pennsylvania returns its top scorer from last season, Kerry Scalora, who finished with five goals and two assists for 12 points as a freshman. She was named ECAC Rookie of the Year, Ivy League Rookie of the Year and second team All-Ivy.
The Quakers also return senior goalkeeper, Caroline Williams. Last year, the Honorable Mention All-Ivy keeper started all 18 games for the Quakers last year, playing in 1,637 minutes and making 71 saves (81.6 percent). She had a goals against average of 0.88, allowing only 17 goals all season.
The Hens (1-2-0) will take on Saint Joseph's (0-2-0) on Friday at Finnessy Field, beginning at 7 p.m. and then return to the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday night to face the Ivy League's Pennsylvania (0-0-0). That game is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Rhodes Field.
"We are always excited to play local teams,” said Delaware head coach Scott Grzenda. “We recruit against both programs and know a lot of their players. Our kids know them as well, as many played on the same club teams. Both games will be a good test as Saint Joseph's is very competitive in the Atlantic 10 and Penn won the Ivy League last year.”
Media:
Fans unable to attend either game can follow the action with a live stats feed and a video web stream.
For the Saint Joseph's game please click here for the live stats and here for the web streams and please click here for Pennsylvania's game time multimedia center.
Looking for Number 200:
Head coach Scott Grzenda, now in his 22nd year as the program's only coach, is just five wins shy of the 200-victory plateau after a 3-0 over Stony Brook University last week. When he reaches that benchmark, he will become the 41st head coach to collect 200 wins at the NCAA Division I level.
Split Results at the JMU/Fairfield Inn by Marriott Tournament:
Last weekend, Delaware went 1-1 at the James Madison University/Fairfield Inn by Marriott Tournament, knocking off Stony Brook 3-0, but falling to Pittsburgh 1-0 on Sunday afternoon.
Delaware landed two players on the All-Tournament Team, including junior midfielder Melissa Pennington, who scored twice against Stony Brook to lead the game. Joining Pennington was fellow junior midfielder Tania Domingos, who tallied the Hens second goal against Stony Brook.
All-Time Against the Philadelphia Big Five:
Since the program began in 1990, Grzenda has put together an impressive record over the Philadelphia Big Five, which is comprised of La Salle, Temple, Villanova and this weekend's opponents, Penn and Saint Joseph's.
All-time against the Big Five, Grzenda is 29-18-3, including an unblemished 8-0-0 record against Temple. The Hens hold winning records against Saint Joseph's (8-2-1) and Pennsylvania (6-5-0). Earlier this season, Delaware slipped below .500 against La Salle, with a series record of 6-7-0 after a 2-0 setback. The Hens are 1-4-2 against the Big East's Villanova.
The Series:
The Blue Hens are a combined 14-7-1 against this week's opponents, holding winning records against both schools. The Hens are 5-4-0 in the city of Philadelphia against Saint Joe's and Penn, with a 3-1-0 record at Finnessy Field and a 2-3-0 mark at Rhodes Field.
Delaware first played Saint Joseph's in 1999, falling 3-2. But Delaware bounced back, winning the next eight games against the Hawks, including six shutouts, one of which was a 7-0 rout. The teams haven't met since 2009 when they tied 0-0 at Delaware Mini-Stadium.
Against the Quakers, Delaware is 2-3-0 at Rhodes Field. The Hens have not met Penn since 2002, earning a 1-0 victory at Delaware Mini-Stadium. The last time the Hens played at Pennsylvania, they suffer a 4-2 set back during the 2001 season.
Scouting Delaware:
Pennington and Domingos account for all of Delaware's goals so far in the young season, with two and one, respectively.
Ali Miller sets the pace in shooting, taking 10 attempts, tying her for second in the Colonial Athletic Association, averaging 3.33 shots an outing. Pennington has taken just two shots all season, but made them count, burying both attempts.
In the assist column, sophomore Shannon Kearney, a CAA All-Rookie selection in 2010, has a team-high two helpers, while Leigh Victory and Taylor Thompson each have one. Kearney is tied for fourth in the conference in total assists.
Between the pipes, Breanna Stemler has logged every minute (260:34) for Delaware this season. She is ranked fourth in the conference in saves (13), sixth in saves per game (4.33), tied for third in shutouts (1) and is seventh in the CAA in save percentage (81.2)
Stemler is poised to move up the all-time saves list. She has turned aside 129 shots so far in her career, and needs just 30 more to move into seven place, currently occupied by Stemler's former teammate, Annie Bevan.
Delaware's 3-0 shutout of Stony Brook was the 137th in program history and the ninth of Stemler's. She needs just four more to catch Rachel Bersin's mark of 13, which is fifth all-time at Delaware.
“We had a great week of practice and continue to work on creating scoring opportunities,” said Grzenda. “The team was proud of their play last weekend and how far we've come from preseason”
Scouting Saint Joseph's:
The Hawks will enter Friday's match with a 0-2-0 record, falling 2-1 against local rival Villanova and 2-0 this past weekend at Binghamton.
Maggie Lupinski notched the only Hawks' goal of the season, which came unassisted. Lupinski has taken three shots, all of which have been on goal. Mo Hawkins has the lead in shots, putting up four attempts. Five other Hawks have taken one shot apiece.
Christine Neal has played every minute (180) in goal for Saint Joseph's, making 13 saves against 17 opponent shots on goal, carrying a 76.5 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.00.
The second half does not favor the Hawks, who have allowed three goals in the final 45 minutes, including both of Binghamton's tallies.
Scouting Pennsylvania:
As of Thursday afternoon, the Quakers have not played yet in 2011, but will host UMBC Friday night.
The Quakers are coming off a season in which they reached the NCAA Tournament, falling to Penn State 1-0 in the first round.
Penn went 9-7-2 in 2010, earning a bid into the tournament after claiming the Ivy League title with a 4-1-2 record.
Pennsylvania returns its top scorer from last season, Kerry Scalora, who finished with five goals and two assists for 12 points as a freshman. She was named ECAC Rookie of the Year, Ivy League Rookie of the Year and second team All-Ivy.
The Quakers also return senior goalkeeper, Caroline Williams. Last year, the Honorable Mention All-Ivy keeper started all 18 games for the Quakers last year, playing in 1,637 minutes and making 71 saves (81.6 percent). She had a goals against average of 0.88, allowing only 17 goals all season.
Players Mentioned
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