WAC Tournament Champions to Face Portland in NCAA Tournament First Round: Seattle University women’s soccer (17-2-2, 12-0-0 WAC) became the first ever women’s team at Seattle U to qualify for an NCAA Division I tournament as the WAC Tournament Champions last weekend. En route to the tournament title, the Redhawks defeated Idaho, 6-1, on Nov. 8 and Kansas City, 3-0, on Nov. 10. SU also won the WAC Regular Season title with a perfect, undefeated record in league play. SU enters this weekend’s first round match on a 15-game winning streak during which they’ve allowed just five goals dating back to Sept. 20. The Redhawks and Pilots are set to kick off on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. PT. Links to available live stats and video are on the women’s soccer schedule page at GoSeattleU.com. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Pilot box office at (503) 943-7525 or on Ticketmaster.com.
First Timers: Seattle U is one of just five teams to qualify for the NCAA DI tournament for the first time in 2013. Arkansas, UMBC, Iowa, and South Alabama are also first time qualifiers.
Seeing Double: Stephanie Verdoia is one of just 10 DI women’s soccer players to record double digits in both goals (15) and assists (12) in 2013 (42 points total). The Redhawks are one of just 16 DI teams with multiple double digit scorers (Verdoia - 15, Natasha Howe - 10).
WAC Tournament Team: Kiana Kraft, Julia Besagno, and Stephanie Verdoia represented Seattle U on the WAC All-Tournament Team while Monique Escalera was named Tournament MVP.
Redhawks Dominate All-Conference Honors: As voted upon by the league’s seven head coaches, Stephanie Verdoia was named WAC Offensive Player of the Year and Julie Woodward was named WAC Coach of the Year. The Redhawks also had nine players named to the All-Conference First and Second Teams, the most of any league school, including four on the First Team (Verdoia, Julia Besagno, Monique Escalera, and Mary Hill) and five on the Second Team (Taylor Ritzman, Ava Ames, Natasha Howe, Kat Prati, Brianna Smallidge).
Redhawks Clinch Regular Season Title: Following regular season play, Seattle U sits atop league standings with a perfect 12-0-0 WAC record, officially clinching the WAC Regular Season Title.
Two of a Kind: Both the Seattle U men’s and women’s soccer teams have secured the 2013 WAC Regular Season title and the No. 1 seed in their respective WAC tournaments. This brings Seattle U’s tally of WAC Regular Season titles to three in just their second year in the conference after women’s basketball completed the feat in 2012-13.
First Time for Everything: Seattle U is just the fourth team in WAC history to finish league play with a perfect record and the first WAC team to ever win 12 conference games. Previous undefeated teams in WAC play include SMU (6-0-0 in 1997; 8-0-0 in 2001), San Diego State (6-0-0 in 1998), and Utah State (7-0-0 in 2008).
National and Regional Rankings: After moving into the top 10 six weeks ago, the Redhawks jumped up four places two weeks ago and remain in the No. 4 spot in the Nov. 12 edition of the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I Women’s West Regional Poll. The Redhawks are also receiving votes in both the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I National Poll and the Top Drawer Soccer national poll.
Scouting No. 7 Portland (15-2-1, 8-1-0 WCC): The seventh ranked and No. 3 seed Portland Pilots are making their 14th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and have reached at least the Second Round in 13 straight seasons. The 2002 and 2005 National Champions have won 13 of their last 14 games and allowed just five goals during West Coast Conference play this season. This season, the Pilots claimed a share of the WCC title, the 13th such title in program history. Micaela Capelle leads Portland offensively with eight goals, 22 points, and 56 shots, while Erin Dees has played 18 of 19 games in goal, allowing just 13 goals, recording a 0.74 GAA, and making 60 saves. Garrett Smith is in his 11th season at the helm with a 192-37-17 career record. The winner of the match will face the winner of Washington State/Illinois in the second round, likely at No. 2 seed Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb.
Portland/Seattle U Series: Portland is 8-3-1 all-time vs. Seattle U, including 6-0-1 at Merlo Field. In 2011, SU last defeated then-No. 8 UP, 2-0, at Washington’s Husky Soccer Stadium as part of the Husky NIKE Invitational on Sept. 2. Emma Levy scored her first goal of the season and Stephanie Verdoia scored her second career goal as Madison Goverde made six saves in goal. This win marked the highest ranked opponent a Seattle U team had defeated since reclassifying back to NCAA Division I status. Last season, the Redhawks faced then-No. 13 UP in Portland on Sept. 21, falling 3-0.
First Timers: Seattle U is one of just five teams to qualify for the NCAA DI tournament for the first time in 2013. Arkansas, UMBC, Iowa, and South Alabama are also first time qualifiers.
Seeing Double: Stephanie Verdoia is one of just 10 DI women’s soccer players to record double digits in both goals (15) and assists (12) in 2013 (42 points total). The Redhawks are one of just 16 DI teams with multiple double digit scorers (Verdoia - 15, Natasha Howe - 10).
WAC Tournament Team: Kiana Kraft, Julia Besagno, and Stephanie Verdoia represented Seattle U on the WAC All-Tournament Team while Monique Escalera was named Tournament MVP.
Redhawks Dominate All-Conference Honors: As voted upon by the league’s seven head coaches, Stephanie Verdoia was named WAC Offensive Player of the Year and Julie Woodward was named WAC Coach of the Year. The Redhawks also had nine players named to the All-Conference First and Second Teams, the most of any league school, including four on the First Team (Verdoia, Julia Besagno, Monique Escalera, and Mary Hill) and five on the Second Team (Taylor Ritzman, Ava Ames, Natasha Howe, Kat Prati, Brianna Smallidge).
Redhawks Clinch Regular Season Title: Following regular season play, Seattle U sits atop league standings with a perfect 12-0-0 WAC record, officially clinching the WAC Regular Season Title.
Two of a Kind: Both the Seattle U men’s and women’s soccer teams have secured the 2013 WAC Regular Season title and the No. 1 seed in their respective WAC tournaments. This brings Seattle U’s tally of WAC Regular Season titles to three in just their second year in the conference after women’s basketball completed the feat in 2012-13.
First Time for Everything: Seattle U is just the fourth team in WAC history to finish league play with a perfect record and the first WAC team to ever win 12 conference games. Previous undefeated teams in WAC play include SMU (6-0-0 in 1997; 8-0-0 in 2001), San Diego State (6-0-0 in 1998), and Utah State (7-0-0 in 2008).
National and Regional Rankings: After moving into the top 10 six weeks ago, the Redhawks jumped up four places two weeks ago and remain in the No. 4 spot in the Nov. 12 edition of the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I Women’s West Regional Poll. The Redhawks are also receiving votes in both the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I National Poll and the Top Drawer Soccer national poll.
Scouting No. 7 Portland (15-2-1, 8-1-0 WCC): The seventh ranked and No. 3 seed Portland Pilots are making their 14th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and have reached at least the Second Round in 13 straight seasons. The 2002 and 2005 National Champions have won 13 of their last 14 games and allowed just five goals during West Coast Conference play this season. This season, the Pilots claimed a share of the WCC title, the 13th such title in program history. Micaela Capelle leads Portland offensively with eight goals, 22 points, and 56 shots, while Erin Dees has played 18 of 19 games in goal, allowing just 13 goals, recording a 0.74 GAA, and making 60 saves. Garrett Smith is in his 11th season at the helm with a 192-37-17 career record. The winner of the match will face the winner of Washington State/Illinois in the second round, likely at No. 2 seed Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb.
Portland/Seattle U Series: Portland is 8-3-1 all-time vs. Seattle U, including 6-0-1 at Merlo Field. In 2011, SU last defeated then-No. 8 UP, 2-0, at Washington’s Husky Soccer Stadium as part of the Husky NIKE Invitational on Sept. 2. Emma Levy scored her first goal of the season and Stephanie Verdoia scored her second career goal as Madison Goverde made six saves in goal. This win marked the highest ranked opponent a Seattle U team had defeated since reclassifying back to NCAA Division I status. Last season, the Redhawks faced then-No. 13 UP in Portland on Sept. 21, falling 3-0.