Women's Soccer Hosts National Championship

UCSD jumped out to a fast-paced, aggressive offense. Keeper Sarah Fabian '98 (Dover, MA) made 6 saves against 12 drilled shots by a team who averaged close to four goals a game. Withstanding the scare of three shots careening wide of the goalmouth and making diving saves, Fabian was named to the All-Tournament Team, as well as to the NESCAC All-Star Team.

Midway through the first half, the Jeffs earned a direct kick in the Triton half. Eliza Meade '99 (Newton, MA) served up a lob, which was crossed into Shaunette Richards '98 (Mays Landing, NJ). Netting her eighth of the season, Richards's goal gave the Jeffs an early 1-0 lead. "In most other games," noted Meade, "we feel some sense of security. But this time we knew we couldn't let down our guard for one second."

Trailing for only the third time all season, the Tritons mounted an even stronger attack in the closing minutes of the first half. With two-and-a-half minutes left, Ele Johnson sent a cross from the endline to the top of the box where junior Lauren Johnson claimed her sixth goal of the tournament and 25th of the season. Lauren broke not only UCSD's single season scoring record with that goal, but also the NCAA tournament record for most goals in a single tournament.

Despite close to 1,000 fans cheering for the Jeffs, UCSD claimed their second goal early in the second half off the foot of Toni Nunez, later named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Tournament for her two game winners. Amherst responded with an attack led by Richards, drawing a series of fouls to set up free kicks and scoring opportunities. Richards gained All-Tournament recognition for her efforts in addition to her All-NESCAC honors. Junior back Ellie Hickerson (Davenport, IA) also earned NESCAC All-Star status.

"We've overachieved all year," reflected Amherst head coach Michelle Morgan, "and we've experienced playing behind and ahead. But we've played right to the end of every game all season. We know we're a championship caliber team -- we'll take a week off now and look forward to next season."

UCSD went on to win the 1996 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship by a 2-1 margin over The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State). The Lions had posted a 1-0 win in the semifinals over the University of Chicago, making its first ever appearance in the NCAA tournament and coached by former Lady Jeff Amy Howley Reifert '86. This is the third title for the Tritons, as they are the only team to appear in all eleven women's soccer championships.

NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Final Four
Saturday, November 16, 1996 at Hitchcock Field, Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst (12-2-3)		1	0 -- 1
UCSD (20-1)			1	1 -- 1

No.	Player			        GP/GS Shots  Goals  Assists  Points
9	Shaunette Richards '98	17/17	39	8	4	20
15	Kathryn Hersey '99		17/17	46	6	5	17
8	Katherine Connelly '00	17/1	23	7	1	15
27	Laura Kochansky '98		15/15	20	4	1	9
19	Kerry Weeks '98		10/0	5	3	0	6
4	Genevieve Furst '00		15/1	10	2	1	5
10	Jennifer Havlik '00		10/2	4	2	0	4
12	Janinne Noel '99		17/17	13	2	0	4
16	Arianne Sperry '00		7/0	7	1	1	3
18	Erika Johnson '98		16/14	15	1	1	3
6	Lesley Greene '00		17/5	17	0	3	3
5	Kathleen Missett '99		17/17	21	0	2	2
20	Eliza Meade '99		17/17	18	0	2	2
3	Alison Segal '97		16/15	5	0	1	1
14	Eleanor Hickerson '98		15/15	7	0	1	1
24	Rachel Bernstein '00		1/0	0	0	1	1
Amherst Totals 			17	265	36	25	97
Opponent Totals			17	160	8	2	18

Goalkeeping		         GP/GS Saves    Save %	          GA        GAA     SOs
G	Sarah Fabian		17/17	95	92.2%		8	0.47	   10
G	Katie Connelly		2/0	2	100.0%	0	0.00	     0
G	Carolina Patino	2/0	0	Ñ.- %		0	0.00	     0
Amherst Totals		17	97	92.4%	8	0.47	  10
Opponent Totals		17	149	80.5%	36	2.12	    3

Season Record: 12-2-3
Last Week: NCAA Final Four v. UCSD, L 1-2

Women's Volleyball Competes at ECACs