CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- As the America East women's soccer regular season winds down, a pair of players solidified their teams postseason chances and have received the league's weekly awards as a result. University at Albany's Ashley Tirabassi (Cambridge, Ontario/Monsignor Doyle) and University of Maine's Meagan Price-Leibenzeder (Surrey, British Columbia/Clayton Heights) are the Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively for the week ending Oct. 18.
Tirabassi scored in each of Albany’s wins last week which marked the first time the Great Danes have won consecutive league games since joining America East prior to the 2001 season. A senior forward, Tirabassi tallied the lone goal, which made her UA’s all-time scoring leader, in her team’s 1-0 win at UMBC Sunday then added an insurance tally in a 2-0 win at first-place Stony Brook Sunday. Tirabassi, who is tied for second among league leaders with five goals, has Albany in position for its first-ever America East Championship appearance.
Price-Leibenzeder recorded a pair of road shutouts last week to propel Maine into playoff position with two games remaining. The freshman keeper made three stops in a 1-0 win at Hartford Thursday and saved a pair of shots in a 2-0 victory at New Hampshire Sunday. Price-Leibenzeder, who has started all 13 games in net for the Black Bears, ranks second among conference leaders with five shutouts and has held the opponent scoreless in four of her last six outings.
With just one week left in the regular season, Boston University (10-5-2, 6-1-0 America East) sits atop the league standings with 18 points and can clinch its third straight regular-season crown with a win over UMBC on Sunday. Stony Brook (6-8-2, 5-1-1) is right behind the Terriers with 16 points and can wrap up the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye with a win at Maine on Thursday. Binghamton (7-6-1, 4-2-0), winners in three of its last four outings, has also secured a playoff berth with 12 points and can still finish as high as second with two wins and a Stony Brook loss or tie against Maine. The Black Bears (6-5-2, 3-2-1) and Albany (8-7-1, 3-2-1) are tied for fourth with 10 points and can wrap up tournament bids on Thursday. New Hampshire (3-12-1, 2-4-0) currently holds the final championship bid with six points, one ahead of Vermont (1-10-3, 1-3-2) and three over UMBc (2-12-1, 1-5-0). Hartford (4-10-2, 0-5-1) has one point and slim hopes of avoiding missing the tournament for just the third time in 15 years.
Team-By-Team Notebooks
Albany (8-7-1, 3-2-1 America East) won consecutive America East Conference matches for the first time in program history by posting a 1-0 victory over UMBC on Thursday, Oct. 15 and a 2-0 win against Stony Brook on Sunday, Oct. 18 … The Great Danes have registered their highest single-season win total since posting 10 victories in 1988, while the three America East wins are a program best … With the victory at Stony Brook, UAlbany finished the season unbeaten in America East road matches after going 0-34 in its first eight years in the league … Ashley Tirabassi (Cambridge, Ontario/Monsignor Doyle) and Cate Crenson (North Salem, N.Y./North Salem) had record-breaking performances in the two wins … Tirabassi set the program’s school standard for career goals by netting the game winner against UMBC … She added her 18th career marker versus Stony Brook … Crenson set a Division I program record by earning her fourth career shutout against the Seawolves … All four clean sheets were recorded this season … The defense, which is anchored by Kendra Harrell-Vigil (Avondale, Ariz./Avondale) and Casey Marks (Cortland, N.Y./Cortland), has posted seven shutout victories, the most in more than 20 years, and surrenders only 1.06 goals per game … The program’s Division I standard of allowing 2.00 goals per game was set in 2007 … The Great Danes will look to lock up their first-ever bid to the America East postseason tournament when they host Hartford on Thursday, Oct. 22 and Maine on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Binghamton (7-6-1, 4-2 America East) split a pair of games during the week but won the important conference matchup. After dropping a non-league game at Penn, the Bearcats clinched a postseason berth with a 2-0 win over UMBC on Senior Day. Binghamton, currently in third place in the America East standings, clinched its sixth consecutive tournament berth. The team is in position to host a quarterfinal game at minimum with one more victory… The Bearcats remained unbeaten against UMBC (6-0-2 all-time) with the shutout victory. Senior forward Emily Cirillo (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal/Broome CC) scored just 2:29 into the game in her first start of the season… Junior defender Stefani Knopick (Endwell, N.Y./Maine-Endwell) added a second-half insurance goal … Senior starting keeper Jen McEachron (Hoosick Falls, N.Y./Hoosick Falls) and junior Erin Iman (Bel Air, Md./Fallston) shared the shutout with neither keeper forced to make a save. It was the duo’s sixth shared shutout of the season.
Boston University (10-5-2, 6-1-0 America East) finished last week on a high note as it defeated Hartford, 1-0, backed by a goal from senior Farrell McClernon (West Chester, Pa./Merion Mercy) to remain at the top of the America East standings. Earlier in the week, the Terriers suffered their first conference loss of the season with a 2-1 defeat at Stony Brook; however, the Seawolves later dropped a 2-0 decision to Albany to help BU stay at the top. Freshman Megan McGoldrick (Reading, Mass./Reading Memorial) scored the Terriers’ lone goal in the loss. Sophomore Jessica Luscinski (Bedford, N.H./Trinity) recorded her team-leading seventh assist for the year on Sunday afternoon, as she is now in a five-way tie for fourth in the record books for single-season assists. McClernon is also inching her way up in the record books, as she is now tied for ninth all-time in career points with 46. This week, Boston U. will step out of the conference and take on Bryant at Nickerson Field on Wednesday (Oct. 21) at 4 pm, and then close out its regular season with UMBC on Sunday (Oct. 25) at 1 p.m.
Hartford (4-10-2, 0-5-1 America East) dropped two 1-0 conference matches last week at home against Maine on Thursday and at Boston University on Sunday … Both Maine and Boston University scored just over half way through the second half, with both games going scoreless for the first 45 minutes … Against the Black Bears, Hartford outshot Maine by a 10-8 margin … sophomore Breeanna Robinson (East Hampstead, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) took four of Hartford shots, with one of her shots going on goal … Hartford keeper Lauren Brodeur (Wilbraham, Mass./Wilbraham Munson) finished the game with two saves … Against the Terriers, Hartford was outshot by a 17-9 margin, including being outshot 11-1 in the second half alone … Hartford had seven different players take shots, led Laura Guigli (North Stonington, Conn/Wheeler) who finished with three shots … Brodeur finished the Boston U. game with four saves, six total for the week … Hartford will play its final regular season road match at Albany on Thursday, October 22 at 3p.m. … The Hawks will then host Vermont for the final regular season game on Sunday, October 25 at 2 p.m.
Maine (6-5-2, 3-2-1 America East) recorded a pair of victories on the week… The Black Bears defeated Hartford 1-0 and followed that up with a 2-0 win at New Hampshire… The shutouts were the fifth and sixth of the season for Maine… Five of Maine’s six wins on the season have been via shutouts..,. Rookie Meagan Price-Leibenzeder (Surrey, British Columbia) has five shutouts on the season… Laura Martel (Lewiston, Maine/Lewiston) continued her impressive senior season… Martel recorded the game-winning goal in each of Maine’s victories on the week… Her goal against New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon was her team-leading 10th goal of the season… Martel has three of Maine’s six game-winning goals on the season… Martel has 22 career goals, which ranks fourth on Maine’s all-time goals list… The Black Bears currently have six wins on the season, the same number that they finished with during the 2008 season… The Black Bears return home this week after two games on the road to host Stony Brook in the regular season finale… Maine then finishes the 2009 regular season on the road at Albany on Sunday afternoon.
UMBC (2-12-1, 1-5-0 America East) dropped two America East Conference games last week, falling to Albany, 1-0, at home on Oct. 15, and at Binghamton, 2-0, on Oct. 18… Sophomore goalie Mo Van Vlerah (Ijamsville, Md./Northwest) made 19 saves in two games… She now has 102 saves on the season, the fifth-highest single-season total in UMBC history… She is the first Retriever to crack the 100-save plateau since 1995… Sophomore midfielder Danielle Kell (Willards, Md./Parkside) and junior midfielder Sandra Vacarino (Mantua, N.J./Clearview Regional) are tied for the team lead with two goals, two assists and six points apiece… Freshman back Aly Gazarek (Manassas, Va./Freedom/South Florida) also has a team-best two helpers… Nine different players have scored for UMBC this season, the most since 12 Retrievers found the back of the net in 2004… Of UMBC’s 39 goals since 2007, 31 have been scored by underclassmen, including 21 by freshmen… Both of the Retrievers’ game winners this season have been scored by rookies in Gazarek and forward Rachel McKee (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron)… McKee leads UMBC with 21 shots, including 13 on goal… The Retrievers conclude the regular season this week with a pair of America East Conference games, hosting New Hampshire on Oct. 22, then visiting defending champion Boston University on Oct. 25.
New Hampshire (3-12-1, 2-4-0 America East) went 1-1-0 last week, breezing past Vermont on the road, 3-0, Oct. 15, and dropping a 2-0 decision at home to Maine on Oct. 18 … junior Marika Posehn (Duncan, British Columbia/Cowichan Senior Secondary) tallied a career-high three points versus Vermont with her first collegiate goal – the game winner – and an assist … the performance moved her into a second-place tie on the team in points … senior Shaunna Kaplan (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) scored her first goal of 2009 to give UNH a 2-0 lead … junior Jenna Duncan (Ivyland, Pa./Council Rock North) earned her first collegiate point with an assist on the play ... sophomore Jordyn Krall (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury) gave the Wildcats a commanding 3-0 lead with her first collegiate goal ... senior goalkeeper Ally Yost (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) made eight saves for her third shutout of the season and seventh of her career … Yost stopped four shots against Maine … the Wildcats return to action Thursday, Oct. 22 at 3 p.m. when they travel to take on UMBC.
Stony Brook (6-8-2, 5-1-1 America East) defeated Boston University 2-1 on Thursday night before falling to Albany, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon … the victory over Boston University extended Stony Brook’s winning streak to four and its unbeaten streak to six … the 5-0-1 start in America East play was the Seawolves best ever start in conference play … it was Stony Brook’s first victory over Boston University since 2002 … the victory over Boston U. ended the Terriers seven-game winning streak and was there first loss against an America East opponent in 22 games … freshman Sa’sha Kershaw gave Stony Brook a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute … it was her third goal in the last four games … Kershaw has 10 points on the season and is tied with freshman Meghan Gilley for the team lead … sophomore Dominique Adamo scored less than two minutes after Kershaw’s goal to put Stony Brook on top 2-0 …freshman Taryn Schoenbeck assisted on Adamo’s goal for her team-leading third assist of the season … senior goalkeeper Marisa Viola made five saves against the Terriers … Stony Brook outscored its opponents 13-2 during the six-game unbeaten streak … Stony Brook outshot Albany, 14-10, in Sunday’s loss … Viola made four saves against the Great Danes … the Seawolves honored their four seniors- Viola, Alex Teti, Michelle Striefsky and Kelly Grant- prior to Sunday’s game … Stony Brook closes out the regular season on Thursday at Maine.
Vermont (1-10-3, 1-3-2 America East) was blanked by New Hampshire, 3-0, in the final home game of the year for the Catamounts. UVM will close out the regular season with three straight road games. UVM travels to Dartmouth for a 6 p.m. non-conference game on Tuesday (Oct. 20), then faces Binghamton on Thursday (Oct. 22) at 7 p.m. in Vestal, N.Y. and wraps up the week at Hartford on Sunday (Oct. 25) at 1 p.m.