NEW BRITAIN, CONN. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's soccer team (10-5-4, 6-2-2 NEC) is one match away from earning an NEC Tournament title as they gear up to battle Central Connecticut State (12-5-0, 8-2-0 NEC)
Game Info
FDU (10-5-4, 6-2-2 NEC) at Central Connecticut (12-5-0, 8-2-0 NEC)
Sunday, November 7 at 1:00 p.m. -- CCSU Soccer Field in New Britain, Connecticut
Coverage: ESPN3 | Live Stats
In-Game Updates: @FDUKnightsWSOC
All-Time Series
CCSU leads 17-8-0
Streak...W1
First Meeting...9/3/00 (CCSU 4, FDU 2)
Last Meeting...10/10/21 (FDU 2, CCSU 1)
Scouting the Blue Devils
The NEC Regular Season Champions are eyeing what would be their fourth consecutive NEC Tournament crown. The Blue Devils toppled the Bryant Bulldogs by a score of 1-0 thanks to NEC Player of the Year Roma McLaughlin's penalty kick in the 38'. The goal was McLaughlin's eighth of the season, and she has racked up 18 points for the Blue Devils. Erica Bardes earned the NEC's Defensive Player of the Year award while three other Blue Devils, Kelly Brady, Kristen Kelly, and Tess Atkinson, joined them as First Team All-NEC honorees. The Blue Devils entered the NEC Tournament in stride, winning four of their last five regular season games, with the lone loss coming against FDU. In the earlier meeting of the two teams, the Knights topped CCSU by a score of 2-1 thanks to an equalizing goal from Aitana Martínez-Montoya and the game-winner from Christa Waterman.
Scouting the Knights
The Knights won a match that saw an overflow of goals, taking down Sacred Heart 5-3 in what was the highest-scoring NEC Tournament game since the 2015 Knights defeated Saint Francis U (Pa.), 7-4. In the semifinal victory, Naemi Hausen starred as the First Team All-NEC honoree scored two goals and added an assist to boost her season point total up to 15. Aitana Martínez-Montoya also logged two assists, bumping her point total up to 19. Also of note was Lea Egner's three-point performance, logged an assist via corner kick on the first Knights goal of the match, and then scoring a world-class goal to give FDU a 3-2 lead – one that would ultimately never be relinquished. First Team All-NEC honoree Christa Waterman snagged her second goal of the season on Egner's corner kick, while Briana Esteves also scored her first career goal as the exclamation point on the match in the second half. Head Coach Eric Teepe will be looking for his second trip to the NCAA Tournament over his illustrious career with the Burgundy and Blue.
Coach Teepe's Thoughts
"We know this one will be a challenge. We have to play Central at their field, and they've won three years in a row. We know they're going to be confident, so we've got to come in with that same confidence and give it a go."
What's Next
If the Knights win, they will advance to the NCAA Tournament, and will learn the time and date of their match with their first opponent on Monday, November 8, at 1 p.m.
