GENEVA, N.Y. (November 22, 2019)  – Following a pair of victories last weekend in the frigid conditions of the Middlebury, Vermont regional, the Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer team is set for a new challenge this weekend in the Third Round (Sectionals) of the 2019 NCAA Division III Championship, where the Ducks will meet two-time national champion, William Smith College Saturday morning.

The Ducks and the Herons will take to the pitch on Cozzens Field at 11:00 a.m., where the match-time temperature is expected to be in the mid-40s, as opposed to the sub-freezing temperatures registered last weekend. The fixture featuring Johns Hopkins University and Dickinson College is set for 1:30 p.m.

The Ducks enter the match riding a program-record 15-match winning streak after victories over UMASS Boston and Middlebury College to advance to the Third Round for just the third time in program history. The victory over the hosting Panthers evened the Ducks' record in the Second Round (regional final) to 3-3 since the 64-team format was adopted in 2010, and was the program's first road victory in a regional final match. The Ducks' current winning streak is the longest in the country.

Stevens (17-3-1) is in the midst of its 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, compiling an 11-10-2 record in the national tournament. Stevens opened the tournament with a fixture with a first-time opponent in each of the last five seasons and have won at least one match in four of its last five trips to the NCAA Tournament. 

William Smith is making its fifth straight trip to sectionals and 30th all-time appearance in the national tournament. Under 40th-year head coach Aliceann Wilber, William Smith is 58-21-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and won the national championship in 1988 and 2013. Of the four teams in the Geneva, New York sectional, the Herons are the only team with national titles.

How'd We Get Here
The Ducks are playing in the Third Round for the first time since 2015, and for the third time in program history, after defeating UMASS Boston (3-0) and Middlebury (2-1) in Vermont. The team also reached the Round of 16 in 2005. 

Against the Beacons, senior Gabby Saade broke through in the third minute to open scoring and goals from freshman Catalina Abusada and sophomore Fiona Matthews provided valuable insurance as the Ducks outshot the Beacons 18-6 in securing a comfortable victory. 

Against the Panthers, sophomore Gianna Nitti buried a direct kick in the third minute to give Stevens an early advantage, but it was an own goal in the 75th minute that sent the Ducks on to victory. Sophomore goalkeeper Izzy DiDario made a career-high 10 saves to preserve the result. Ironically, Stevens' first goal in each match occurred at the exact same time (2:45). The win over Middlebury is the first true road victory for the program and moved Stevens to 8-3-1 this season against teams that made the NCAA Tournament over the last two seasons. Per the Massey Rankings, the Ducks have played the 18th toughest schedule in Division III, whereas William Smith has played the 20th.

William Smith (18-1-1) reached the sectionals for the fifth straight season after victories over Utica College (3-0) and University of Mary Washington (2-0) for the program's 14th straight win. Against the Pioneers, sophomore forward Sarah Gray netted a pair of goals as the Herons outshot the winners of the Empire 8 Conference by an astounding 45-1 margin. In the regional final, senior Eileen Rath and junior Sheila McQuillen provided the offense and junior Amanda Kesler stopped three shots in the victory.

Offensively Speaking
Stevens enters the weekend outscoring opponents 45-14 through 21 matches. Two-time All-American Julia Panko leads the team with 13 goals and three assists, while Saade leads the team with a career-high seven assists, while also contributing eight goals, including four-game-winners. Sophomore Ally Wanzor is also a key component of the Ducks' offense, scoring five goals with six assists, while Matthews has four goals with five assists in her second season Castle Point. All totaled, 16 different players have collected at least one point, with 13 scoring at least one goal.

McQuillen leads 21 different Herons that have registered at least one point with six goals and four assists. Like the Ducks, four players have reached double figures in points and nine players have scored a goal. As a team, William Smith is outscoring opponents 46-4 and the Herons have scored at least three goals in seven different matches. During the NCAA Tournament, William Smith leads all teams with 35 shots over two matches, including a tournament-leading 19 shots on frame.

Getting Defensive
Stevens has conceded 14 goals on the year, including just one since October 26. Middlebury's second-half tally snapped the Ducks' 626:33 scoreless streak. The Ducks have pitched 11 clean sheets on the year, with DiDario marshalling six of them. The Scotch Plains, New Jersey native currently ranks fifth among all active Division III goalkeepers with a 0.47 goals-against average and her current 0.39 GAA ranks third in single-season program history. While the Ducks' style of play lends itself to low shot totals for opponents, the defensive group has stood up when called upon, allowing just under five shots on goal per match to opponents. 

William Smith has conceded just four goals on the year and none since Oct. 12 against Vassar. The four goals allowed are tied for the fewest in Division III. Kesler has pitched 13 clean sheets and ranked third among all Division III goalkeepers in the regular season with a 0.206 goals-against average. As a team, the Herons ranks second behind just Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a 0.197 team GAA and ninth with a 0.892 save percentage. 

When We Last Met
This will be the second all-time meeting between the teams. William Smith defeated Stevens via a 6-2 decision on Aug. 31, 2013 in a neutral-site fixture played at The College of New Jersey. 

Alumna Ann Heine and Raba Nassif had the goals for the Ducks, who led 2-1 late in the first half. A rebound goal by Kim Knefel knotted the teams just before halftime, and the Herons netted four straight in the second half to secure the victory.

On Common Ground
The teams share three common opponents in Messiah College, Misericordia University and Vassar College. William Smith went 3-0-1 against the trio of opponents, while the Ducks went 3-1. William Smith's 2-0 victory over then-No. 7 Messiah is the lone blemish on the Falcons' resume, while Vassar was the last team to register a goal against the Herons on Oct. 12. William Smith blanked Vassar 1-0 on Nov. 10 to capture the program's 13th straight Liberty League title.

Stevens fell to then-No. 7 Messiah 2-0 back on Aug. 31, but defeated Misericordia 1-0 and 2-0, to end the Cougars' run of MAC Freedom championships. The Ducks also defeated Vassar College 4-1 on Sept. 24.

We're The Best Around (In the Classroom)
The teams combined for five Academic All-District placements, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Panko earned her third career all-district selection for the Ducks, while Saade landed on the prestigious team for the second time in her career. Seniors Elizabeth Moore and Emilie Sauvayre joined junior Maialen Martinez in representing William Smith.

Looking Ahead
On the other half of the bracket, Johns Hopkins meets Dickinson for the third time this season, and for the 35th time in the all-time series. The teams met on Oct. 8 and played to a 2-2 draw. The teams met again on Nov. 10 in the Centennial Conference Championship with the Blue Jays topping the Red Devils 2-0. Johns Hopkins leads the all-time series 23-6-5.

Stevens tied then-No. 16 Johns Hopkins 2-2 on Sept. 7 in the opening match of the 16th annual Engineering Cup. The all-time series is tied 1-2-1. Stevens and Dickinson have not met since the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

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