November 18, 2002

GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College soccer team won its third consecutive NCAA Regional Championship and sixth overall since 1993 this past weekend with a shootout victory over Nazareth in the semifinals and a 3-0 shutout of NYU in the championship match.

The Herons, ranked 12th in last week’s coaches poll will travel to Norton, Mass. to take on the Lyons of Wheaton College on Nov. 23, at noon. Ticket prices are $5 for general admission and $2 for children under 12, senior citizens, and students with proper ID.

Head Coach Aliceann Wilber boasts a 303-94-28 career record in her 23 years at William Smith. She is the only female coach in college soccer to reach the 300-win benchmark and just the fourth in college women’s soccer. Under her direction, the Herons have played in 41 NCAA Tournament games since 1987 posting a 21-11-9 (.622) record, advancing to the quarterfinals 12 times, including three trips to the championship match. William Smith won its only nation championship in 1988.

The Herons offense is paced by seniors Alyson Stachura (Pittsford Sutherland/Pittsford, N.Y.) with 11 goals and Maria Paoff (East Syracuse-Minoa/East Syracuse, N.Y.) with eight additional scores. Senior Kristin Falzarano (Morristown/Morris Plains, N.J.), the UCAA Player of the Year, has also been a mainstay for William Smith in the middle third of the field contributing seven goals and six assists for the season.

Defensively, senior goalkeeper Leah Cornwell (Wheatland-Chili/Scottsville, N.Y.) sports a 0.59 goals against average and an .827 save percentage, while registering eight shutouts. The William Smith defense featuring first-years Seraphine Hamilton (The Peddie School/Trenton, N.J.) and Pria Young (Council Rock/Richboro, Pa.), sophomore Jenn Tibbens (Sherburne-Earlville/Sherburne, N.Y.), and senior Amy Pendergast (East-Syracuse-Minoa/East Syracuse, N.Y.) has allowed only 13 goals in 22 games, posting 11 shutouts.

The Lyons are making their third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first in the quarterfinals. Ranked fourth in last week’s NSCAA Division III Coaches Poll, the Lyons are led by Tracey Prihoda (Needham/Needham, Mass.) with 30 goals and 23 assists on the year. Defensively, Wheaton has only given up 12 goals in its 23 games with Jessica Broomhead (Barrington/Barrington, R.I.) sporting a 0.54 goals against average.

A member of the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), Wheaton holds a 22-1-0 record, and advanced to the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over Bridgewater State in the regional semifinals and a 3-1 defeat of Keene State in the regional final.

Back to William Smith Soccer