NCAA ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM

Senior defender Lauren Roy, of the Capital University women's soccer team, has been named to the NCAA Division III National Tournament All-Tournament Team following the Crusaders first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament National Semifinals.

Roy, a Toledo, Ohio, native, earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after helping the Crusaders lock down the back half of their defensive line, while appearing in her first-ever NCAA Division III National semifinal match.

On the season, Roy tallied four points on two goals, both of which came in two of the biggest games for the Crusaders this season, as she scored one of four goals in a 4-0 shutout win over John Carroll in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, while the other goal was the biggest of her career in a 2-1 victory over Thomas More (Ky.) in the NCAA Tournament Sectional Semifinals.

All season long, Capital's defense has been the backbone of its OAC regular season and Tournament Championship honors, while also helping lead the Crusaders on an incredible run through the NCAA Tournament, all while helping strong goalkeeping allow a 0.76 goals per game mark on a .059 shot percentage to its opponents.

Capital capped off its historical season this past Friday, falling 1-0, against William Smith (N.Y.) in an NCAA Tournament National Semifinal match, finishing with a program best 19 wins (19-5-2 overall).

 

NATIONAL RANKINGS

The honors continue to pile up for the Capital University women's soccer team, as they add three separate final national rankings to the list of their historical 2013 season.

The Crusaders earned the No. 8 ranking in the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA National Rankings, No. 9 on D3Soccer.com and No. 19 in the final Bennett Rankings.

"I could not be more proud of the fact that this team did things no one thought possible this year," said head coach Chris Kouns. "Our society values flash and high profile players, and that was not what our team was all about. We had a lot of good players who were willing to fight and work for each other and as a result, their collective efforts helped them achieve heights few would have imagined possible for Capital women's soccer."

D3Soccer.com rankings are based off of weekly votes coming from a panel of coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country.

In that specific poll, Capital topped Thomas More (Ky.) and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, both of which were defeated by the Crusaders in the NCAA Tournament.

As far as the NSCAA National Ranking, that specific poll is made up of nominated teams by region, in Capital's case the Great Lakes Region, with a winning percentage of .750 and above, which is then voted on by coaches within the region and across the nation.

"In terms the culture of our program, this Top 10 National Ranking is the validation that we hoped for," Kouns said. "The culture we are developing values the process of a team striving to maximize their potential.  It focuses on the journey, not the destination, and the belief that if we do the right things in the classroom, on the soccer field and in life we will be rewarded, and we have been."a

The Crusaders also topped Thomas More and Wisconsin-Whitewater in that poll as well.

The Bennett rankings are calculated on factors such as: where games were played, who won, what ranking the opponent had and goal differential. 

"One of the greatest compliments I've received about our total team effort this year came from the gentleman in charge of the Bennett Ranking system," Kouns said. "He told me Capital had been the greatest bug in his system all year long because Bennett Ranking is based solely on statistics and logarithms." 

Capital also topped Wisconsin-Whitewater in that final poll.

"In a logical world, we should not have been where we were and statistically should not have done what we did," Kouns said. But, those things don't tell the story of a team, people do, and we had a story to tell."

Overall, Capital (19-5-2 overall) earned all three national rankings after capping off a historic season in the program's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III National Semifinals.

SAN ANTONIO

vs. William Smith

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Capital University women's soccer team saw its record-setting run in the NCAA Division III Tournament come to an end Friday in a 1-0 setback against No. 3 William Smith (N.Y.) in a national semifinal at Toyota Field.

 

"What an amazing journey our student-athletes have enjoyed over the past three months," Capital coach Chris Kouns said. "Without a doubt, I feel they truly have maximized their collegiate experience and will go forward as better human beings because of what the things they have witnessed on our trip together." 

 

In the first half, the Crusaders (19-5-2 overall) put an early shot on goal when sophomore forward Jamie Murray(West Palm Beach, Fla.) made a run down the right side and tried to go to the far post.

 

The Herons (22-1) tallied in the eighth minute on a great pass to the middle as Krista Longo beat senior goalkeeper Maggie Donnellan (Cincinnati, Ohio) to a spot just in front of the goal, where she placed her shot inside the far post.

 

Capital avoided a two-goal deficit in the closing moments of the half as William Smith nearly doubled its advantage on one play in the middle and another off a corner kick.

 

In the second, Donnellan, who was named a first team All-American by the NSCAA prior to the match, made a handful of key saves and the Crusaders held strong in the defensive third. Capital was unable to find the back of the net against the Herons, who haven't allowed a goal since Sept. 28.

 

With the loss, Capital's best season in program history ends with a school-record 19 wins against just four losses and two ties. After sharing the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season championship with John Carroll, the Crusaders won the conference tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.

 

After reaching the Round of 16 for the first time in school history with consecutive 1-0 wins over the University of Chicago and No. 16 Wisconsin-Whitewater, Capital punched its ticket to the national semifinals with a 2-1 victory over Thomas More (Ky.) and a thrilling victory over No. 1 Washington (Mo.) by penalty kicks (3-2) following a 1-1 tie.

 

"Our student-athletes enjoyed a history-making OAC regular season championship by defeating our cross-town rival, Otterbein," Kouns said. "Just five days later we completed the 'double' by defeating John Carroll for the OAC Tournament Championship and AQ to the NCAA Tournament. But greatness still awaited us on our journey.

 

"From there the journey took us to a very hostile environment in Wisconsin, but the team's belief in our collective journey would not be denied. Yet another historic win in the first and second round of the NCAA Tournament led us to not only a new program win total, but the NCAA Sweet 16. At this point the journey has been long and our minds & bodies were feeling the effects, but we knew greatness still awaited.

 

"Yet again, these student-athletes took their journey to another new level. Defeating Thomas More in the Sweet 16 and beating the No. 1 team to get to the final four in the country is just what this group felt it was meant to do."

 

The Crusaders allowed just two goals in the normal flow of play during the postseason. The team hadn't allowed a goal other than a penalty kick in six straight contests and not since Oct. 30, when it defeated Muskingum 4-2 on the road.

 

In its last two trips to the NCAA Tournament, Capital has been defeated by a team that reached at least the national championship match – William Smith in 2013 and NCAA runner-up Wheaton (Ill.) in 2011.

 

The Crusaders began the season in early August with a preseason trip to Brazil.

 

"Our journey began in August when the returning student-athletes traveled to Brazil for preseason and spent time not only playing, but sharing their gifts with everyone they came into contact with," Kouns said. "For a soccer player, there surely cannot be a better place to start your journey than Brazil. Then in mid-August, we picked up our incoming kids and welcomed them onto the bus."

 

After a 0-1-1 start to the 2013 campaign, including a narrow 3-2 loss at then-No. 5 Carnegie Mellon (Pa.), the Crusaders rattled off five straight non-conference victories to earn a No. 22 national ranking by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

 

A loss to eventual NCAA qualifier Hanover (Ind.) dropped Capital out of the national rankings, but the Crusaders quickly recovered with four consecutive wins.

 

Following a stretch of two losses in three matches, Capital won four straight to conclude the regular season and extended the streak to nine during postseason play.

 

"When our journey took us to Pennsylvania for our opening trip to play then-No. 5 Carnegie Mellon, and came back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game and nearly win it, we seriously began focusing on the greatness within our team," Kouns said. "Each leg of the journey from that point forward was about harnessing and grasping the power of that greatness. 

 

"Along the way there were bumps in the road but not once did the journey suffer back to back setbacks. Each setback further strengthened our resolve that greatness was awaiting us, and we must get there."

 

This year's 11-player senior class finished with a 53-27-10 overall record, including a 25-8-3 mark in OAC play. Over the last four years, the Crusaders won a conference regular season championship and two OAC Tournament titles, and reached the NCAA Tournament twice, going farther than any previous Capital team during each appearance....

For the rest of the story and the box score visit our website: http://athletics.capital.edu/sports/wsoc/index

FINAL FOUR

2013 Division III Women's Soccer FINAL FOUR

San Antonio, Texas

CAPITAL

vs.

#1 WILLIAM SMITH

December 6, 2013

12 PM ET

Hope you are ALL watching and wearing your purple!

The Road to San Antonio

SWEET SIXTEEN

vs. THOMAS MORE

As it has done in every postseason match it has played, the Capital University women's soccer team found an early goal and held strong in the defensive third in the second half to defeat No. 14 Thomas More (Ky.) 2-1 in an NCAA Division III Tournament sectional semifinal match at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

 

The Crusaders (19-4-1 overall) move on to face the nation's No. 1 team and sectional host, Washington University, in a national quarterfinal match Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern (1:30 p.m. Central).

 

"I'm very excited about continuing our journey," Capital coach Chris Kouns said. "We've talked all year about how we have an opportunity for greatness … all we have to do is be the best team on the day we play each match. There's a belief among all our players that we'll find a way to do it."

 

Freshman forward Monique Hanayik (Sidney, Ohio) scored what proved to be the game-winning goal, striking a shot inside the opposite post in the 76th minute to give Capital a 2-0 lead. Sophomore midfielder Allison Mervau(Micanopy, Fla.) recorded the assist on Hanayik's fourth tally of the season.

 

Capital, which has already advanced further than the program ever has and set a school record for wins in last Sunday's second round match, allowed its first goal of the postseason on a penalty kick in the 78th minute but held the rest of the way to preserve the victory.

 

"Thomas More came at us with a lot of pressure," Kouns said. "We knew we had to keep moving our defensive formation, and I think that weathered the pressure."

 

Senior defender Lauren Roy (Toledo, Ohio) provided the first goal in the 30th minute.

 

Freshman midfielder Claire Quinn (Coto de Caza, Calif.) started the play with a corner kick. After a header by senior defender Corey McClellan(Columbus, Ohio) was blocked by a Thomas More defender, Roy picked up the loose ball and placed it into the back of the net.

 

It was Roy's second goal of the season, and the biggest of her career.

 

"As the moment showed, it doesn't matter who we're playing," Kouns said. "This group is dedicated to executing our set pieces, and those win championships."

 

The Saints (19-2-2) applied pressure early in the second half, taking three corner kicks in the first 10 minutes of the period. But the Crusaders, led by senior goalkeeper Maggie Donnellan (Cincinnati, Ohio), refused to allow Thomas More to sustain momentum.....

ELITE EIGHT

vs. Washington University - St. Louis

ST. LOUIS – Behind a stellar effort from senior goalkeeper Maggie Donnellan and a clutch, game-tying goal by freshman midfielder Claire Quinn, the Capital University women's soccer team will make its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament semifinals after defeating top-ranked Washington (Mo.) on penalty kicks in an NCAA sectional final Sunday at Washington University.

 

After the game ended in a 1-1 tie following 90 minutes of regulation and two overtimes, the Crusaders (19-4-2 overall) won 3-2 on penalty kicks to advance to become one of four teams in the nation still playing.

 

"We feel like on any given day, if we play and fight hard enough, and we're dedicated to do it as a team, we can be successful," Capital coach Chris Kouns said. "We know player for player, Washington is better, and if we played them 10 times, they might beat us nine times.

 

"We wanted to break up the game into 10-minute segments … if we could continue to play that way, the pressure would turn to Washington. For us, it was a matter of sticking to the game plan and getting things done, and we did."

 

Capital will take on No. 3 William Smith (N.Y.) quarterfinal match on Friday, Dec. 6, at Toyota Field in San Antonio, Texas.

 

The Crusaders made three of their four penalty kicks, while Donnellan (Cincinnati, Ohio) saved the Bears' first two attempts. After giving Capital a 3-2 lead in the session with her own PK conversion, Donnellan stopped Washington's final attempt, sending the Crusaders and their supporters in attendance into frenzy.

 

"Maggie was absolutely amazing," Kouns said. "For three years, her development working with goalkeeper coach Andrea Kaminski has been absolutely terrific. We didn't originally have her scheduled to take a PK if we got there, but with the way she was playing, there's no doubt we wanted her out there. And she ended up winning it."

 

Freshman midfielder Becca Cartmill (Temecula, Calif.) and senior defender Michelle Geiger (Cincinnati, Ohio) converted the other two penalty kicks for Capital.

 

The Bears (20-1-1) tallied the match's first goal in the sixth minute off a loose ball in the box as the shot skimmed off of the bottom of the crossbar and over the goal line. It was the first goal surrendered by the Crusaders in the flow of play during the postseason. Capital last allowed a non-penalty kick goal on Oct. 30 at Muskingum.

 

Trailing 1-0 at the half, the Crusaders came out aggressively in the second, posting three corner kicks in the first 15 minutes of the period.

 

Capital's strong offensive push paid off in the 67th minute, Quinn took a free kick and placed it just inside the far post off a set piece. Quinn's second goal of the year leveled the match.

 

"About 20 minutes into the second half, we decided to push forward, and we were fortunate enough to put Washington on its heels for about five minutes," Kouns said. "Claire's strike was absolutely beautiful."

 

Donnellan came up with three huge saves in the final 15 minutes of regulation to help preserve the tie. She finished with a career-high 18 saves as the Crusaders were outshot 38-8 in the contest. Capital outshot Washington 3-1 in the two overtimes combined.

 

The Crusaders, unranked entering postseason play, knocked off three straight ranked opponents en route to the national semifinals.

 

Check back early this week for more coverage on Capital's dream postseason run and NCAA Tournament semifinal berth.

For the complete stories and box scores visit our website: http://athletics.capital.edu/sports/wsoc/index