GAME OVERVIEW • Millersville hosts Limestone in a meeting of nationally-ranked teams Saturday. The clubs having a identical 11-2 records and both of the teams' losses have come against the same teams. Millersville is aiming to bounce back from a 2-1 overtime decision at West Chester while Limestone's most recent loss came by a 4-0 score at West Chester on Oct. 12. Limestone also fell to Shippensburg by a 1-0 score on Oct. 5 and Millersville lost to Shippensburg by a 2-1 score on Oct. 14. With its present national ranking and five wins over PSAC schools, Limestone is a contender for one of the three South Region seeds for the NCAA Tournament. It could significantly strengthen its case with a win over the Marauders.
• Millersville has yet to lose in regulation. The Marauders lost to Shippensburg on an untimed play at the conclusion of the second half. The loss to West Chester came in overtime. Millersville has not lost a regular season game by more than one goal since Oct. 13, 2012. The Marauders have also not lost back-to-back games since Sept. 19 and Sept. 22 of 2012.
• In recent history, Millersville is unbeatable when it scores two goals. The Marauders are 9-0 when scoring at least two goals this season and 26-0 since the start of the 2012 season.
SERIES HISTORY
· Limestone has come a long way in a short time under head coach Lindsay Jackson. She is the first coach of the start-up program that started in 2009. After going 0-15 in 2009, Limestone posted its first winning record in 2011 and has improved its record each season since, going 13-5 in 2013. Millersville holds a 3-0 lead in the all-time series. The first meeting came in 2009 with Millersville winning 7-0. The following two games, played in 2010 and 2013, have been much closer. Millersville won the 2010 game by a 2-0 score and last year's game by a 2-1 score.
THE LAST MEETING (10/19/2014, MILLERSVILLE 2, LIMESTONE 1)
· Millersville's
Champayne Hess and
Arianna Grays scored second-half goals four minutes apart to break a scoreless tie and lift the No. 2-ranked Marauders past No. 8 Limestone, 2-1. Limestone (10-3) and Millersville (12-1) played to a dead heat for the first 35 minutes, and Saints' goalkeeper Lindsay Hinton even saved a
Katelyn Zapp penalty stroke with no time left on the clock to keep the game scoreless. The Marauders, however, took control in the final 35. And during an offensive onslaught that included five shots in just over two minutes, Hess scored her fifth goal of the season by following her own shot that was initially saved. Millersville held a 12-2 edge in shots in the second period and took the first 12 of the half. The Marauders also used a 7-2 edge in corners in the period.
DEFENSIVE BATTLE· Today's game is a match-up of two of the best defensive squads in the country. Limestone shut out its first five opponents and boast nine shutouts. Millersville has won eight games by shutout. Millersville's 0.62 goals against average ranks first in Division II but Limestone's 0.85 average isn't far behind in third. Millersville goalkeeper
Lauren Sotzin and Limestone keeper Tabria Cochran rank first and third respectively in goals against average and second and fourth in save percentage.
SCOUTING THE SAINTS· Along with one of the best defenses in the nation, Limestone receives its offensive support from senior Rachel Goromonzi, who was named NFHCA All-America First Team last season. She scored 24 goals and totaled 50 points. She is back at it again in 2014 with 13 goals--an average of one per game. She ranks fifth in the nation in goals per game. Goromonzi also owns a team-leading nine assists. Cochran is a first-year starter at goalkeeper but owns a .818 save percentage in 11 starts.
