NAZARETH TO MEET MONTCLAIR STATE IN NCAAs
Golden Flyers (9-6-3) travel to Elizabethtown, Pa.
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Nov. 6, 2006) -- Nazareth's women's soccer team, back in the NCAA Division III Tournament after a three-year absence, travels to Elizabethtown, Pa. this weekend to play Montclair State of New Jersey in a first-round game.

The Golden Flyers (9-6-3) gained an automatic berth after winning the Empire 8 title last Saturday and will play Montclair State at 1 p.m. Elizabethtown (12-4-3) plays Richard Stockton (15-4-3) at 4 p.m. The winners meet Sunday at 2 p.m. NCAA Ticket prices are $6 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and $2 for children 12 and under.

Nazareth will be making its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance for women's soccer, but it marks the Golden Flyers' first bid since 2002. Nazareth has won eight straight Empire 8 Conference championships, but were denied NCAA berths in 2003, 2004 and 2005 through penalty kicks.

In 2006, Nazareth fought hard just to reach last week's E8 Conference Tournament as the fourth seed. The Golden Flyers then worked overtime to advance past top-seeded Ithaca in the semifinals, 1-0, and against third-seeded Utica, 2-1, in the championship match.

"It's an awesome feeling to be back," said Nazareth Coach Gail Mann (pictured above). "We've had some ups and downs this season, but it's really a great group."

In defeating Utica, Nazareth got a goal from sophomore Kelly Finn (scoring the winning goal at right) just 2:25 into the first overtime period to break a 1-1 tie and bring the championship back to Nazareth. Senior Rosie Simiele gained the assist following a nifty back-healed pass that sent Finn (Homer HS/Cortland, NY) in alone against the Utica keeper.

Despite being outplayed in the first half, Nazareth took a 1-0 lead before halftime on an unassisted goal by Caroline Parsons (Glens Falls HS/Glens Falls, NY). That goal stood up until 15 minutes remained in regulation when Utica tied the score.

In Thursday’s semifinal game at Ithaca, Nazareth displayed defensive resilience for more than 100 minutes until Simiele headed in the game-winning goal with 6:46 left in the second overtime for a 1-0 Nazareth win.

"It's the most exciting win that we've had in a long time," said Nazareth Coach Gail Mann. "Our defense was really organized all day and they played really, really well."

Nazareth's backfield of seniors Amanda Prosser (Webster Schroeder HS/Webster, NY) and Jessica Rogers (Auburn HS/Auburn, NY) and sophomores Ashley Clinton (Shenendehowa HS/Rexford, NY), Carly Schurman (C.W. Baker HS/Baldwinsville, NY) and Emily Zurschmit (Camden HS/Camden, NY) made certain that the five saves made by goalie Shannon Burns (Colonie HS/Albany, NY) were fairly routine. They also ensured that the game was played largely between the penalty areas with neither team generating many scoring chances.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Simiele (pictured, Solvay HS/Syracuse, NY), a senior midfielder, was a first-team Empire 8 Conference all-star in 2005 and is Nazareth's leading scorer in '06 with seven goal and seven assists. She has been named Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week for the last two weeks. Sophomore Rachel Cushman (Irondequoit HS/Rochester, NY) suffered a leg injury in Nazareth's final regular-season game and didn't play in the Ithaca match. She ranks second in scoring with 15 points on seven goals and one assist. Junior Julie Birbilis (Ballston Spa HS/Ballston Spa, NY) and senior Jessemyn Russell (Stillwater HS/Stillwater, NY) provide speed as outside midfielders and sophomore Ashley Clinton is one of the top defenders. Junior Shannon Burns has made all 18 starts in goal and has 92 saves for a 0.91 goals-against average with six shutouts.

NAZARETH COACH GAIL MANN: Now in her 14th season, Mann ranks among the nation's active Division III coaches with a .688 winning percentage with a record of 175-73-23, including this season's 9-6-3 mark. A native of Spencerport, Mann was an assistant coach at Brockport for five seasons before taking over at Nazareth in 1993. Nazareth reached the NCAAs for the first time in 1997 and went on to make six straight appearances. They won the New York Regional title in 1999 and advanced to the national quarterfinals before losing to Williams. In 2005, Nazareth finished 13-6-2 and captured the ECAC Upstate Championship.

SCOUTING MONTCLAIR STATE: Montclair State, at 12-6-3, was seeded second for last week's New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament. They advanced past Richard Stockton in penalty kicks in the conference semifinals and then lost to The College of New Jersey, 1-0, in the title match. The Red Hawks then were awarded an at-large berth to the 60-team NCAA Tournament. Montclair had three first-team selections on the NJAC all-star team in seniors Kelly Dutko, a midfielder; Justine Barbato, a back; and Kristin Kuhmann, a goalie. In addition, freshman forward Natalia Sisti was named Rookie of the Year and Eileen Blair was honored as Coach of the Year. Nazareth and Montclair State have never met in women's soccer.