Oct. 22, 2007

LA SALLE dropped a pair of contests over the weekend, first falling to Temple on Oct. 19, 4-1. Goalkeeper Ellen Axelsen (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) had a game-high 12 saves and Kara Harpel (Lebanon, Pa.) scored the lone goal for the Explorers, her tenth of the season. La Salle saw their losing streak reach five games in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Saint Joseph's on Oct. 21. The loss drops the Explorers to 8-11 on the season and 1-5 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. La Salle is scheduled to play West Chester in its regular season finale on Oct. 27.

MASSACHUSETTS, with victories against Saint Louis and Richmond, clinched a berth to the A-10 Tournament. On Oct. 19, Lauren Gillespie (Casco, Maine) scored just 2:54 into the game and the Minutewomen held on to defeat Saint Louis, 1-0. The goal was the junior forward's team-leading third game-winner of the season. Becky Letourneau (Greenfield, Mass.) made five saves in goal to earn the victory. Letourneau nailed down another shutout on Oct. 21 against Richmond, a game in which she recorded two saves in a 1-0 victory. She now has a Conference-leading six shutouts on the year. It was UMass' first win over the five-time defending A-10 champions since 2001.

RHODE ISLAND senior M.J. Britt (Swoyersville, Pa.) followed up last weekend's 27 saves in two games with a combined 16 saves in shutout losses to Richmond on Oct. 19 and Saint Louis on Oct. 21. After falling 4-0 to Richmond, the Rams dropped a 3-0 decision at Saint Louis and saw its record dip to 7-8 overall (1-5 Atlantic 10). Junior Annie Kane (Rhinebeck, NY.) tallied a game-high five shots on goal in the loss to Saint Louis. The Rams return to action for their regular-season finale on Oct. 27 when they host Massachusetts.

RICHMOND received goals from four different players as the Spiders defeated Rhode Island 4-0 on Oct. 19. A penalty stroke with eight minutes to go in the first half was the only scoring of the afternoon as Massachusetts defeated Richmond, 1-0 on Oct. 21. The loss was just the second time in its last 48 games that Richmond has lost to a Conference opponent. Despite the loss, the Spiders did punch their ticket to the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The team will close out their regular season with a non-conference match against William & Mary and a finale game against Saint Louis on Oct. 28.


SAINT JOSEPH'S earned its second straight shutout victory on Oct. 21, dropping La Salle by a 2-0 score and clinching a spot in the Conference tournament. Junior forward Marisa Pizzi (Rosemont, Pa.) scored the game-winner at the 24:23 mark of the first half, while SJU's leading scorer Jen Wrublesky (Langhorne, Pa.), assisted on both goals. Wrublesky's assists came on the heels of a two-goal performance in a 6-0 route against West Chester on Oct. 19. Both of Wrublesky's goals came in the first 5:25.

SAINT LOUIS received goals from seniors Natalie Slyman (St. Louis, Mo.) and Catherine Donovan (St. Louis, Mo.) which helped the Billikens reach a season high in goals during a 3-0 victory over Rhode Island on Oct. 21. The game was the final home contest this season for the Billikens and followed a 1-0 loss to Massachusetts on Oct. 19. The Billikens (4-14 overall, 2-4 in the A-10) will close out the regular season on Oct. 28, when they play at Richmond.

TEMPLE'S Alli Lokey (Bainbridge, Pa.) scored with less than a minute remaining to help the Owls win their fifth straight conference game against West Chester, 2-1, on Oct. 21. The Owls also picked up a 4-1 victory over La Salle on Oct. 19 thanks to three second half goals. With the win, Temple locks in a postseason spot for the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament. The two wins improve the Owls' record to 14-5 overall and 5-1 in Conference play. The team will play their final regular season game of the 2007 season with an Oct. 27 match at Saint Joseph's.

WEST CHESTER was took a tough, last minute loss to Temple on Oct 21, 2-1. Sara Conrad scored her 8th goal of the season off an assist from Marisa Holzman. The loss was the second of the weekend for West Chester, with the other coming at the hands of Saint Joseph's, 6-0 on Oct. 19. With the losses, West Chester drops to 5-11 overall and 2-4 in Conference play. The team is scheduled to play Lafayette on Oct. 24 before their season finale at La Salle on Oct. 27.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Alli Lokey, Temple
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Jen Wrublesky, Saint Joseph's