NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament First Round Preview: #6 Frostburg vs #3 West Chester
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Frostburg State Women's Soccer team is making their second straight NCAA DII Tournament appearance, traveling to face No. 3 seed West Chester on Friday afternoon in the first round of Atlantic Region play.
How They Got Here: Frostburg enters the tournament as the Mountain East Conference runners up, having lost to Charleston (WV) 2-1 on Sunday, November 12. The Bobcats currently sit at a record of 17-2-2, having been crowned the MEC Champions of the North Division for the fourth straight year.
West Chester heads into the tournament as PSAC Champions, defeating Gannon on Sunday, November 12 2-1 to take the crown. The Golden Rams currently hold a record of 14-3-3, finishing second in the PSAC East Division during the regular season.
The Matchup: This will be the first time in history these two teams face off against each other. West Chester holds the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Region, while FSU comes in at the No. 6 seed.
The Players: The Bobcats are led offensively by senior Toni Fiocco-Mizer, a First Team All-MEC selection with eight goals and five assists. She is supported in attack by junior Madi Allen (eight goals, one assist) and sophomore Morgan Mrizek (two goals, seven assists). The midfield provides added goals from sophomore Carly Gillette (six goals, two assists), senior Lela Clark (four goals, two assists), and junior Keely Knotts (three goals, one assist), with senior Second Team All-MEC member Hannah Thompson (one goal, three assists) providing a shield in front of the back four. Defensively, FSU has four All-MEC honorees in junior center backs Cat Smith (seven goals, two assists) and Mei Homman (one goal, four assists), wide back Carolyn DeSena (two assists), and senior goalkeeper Ashley Bilger.
WCU is led by PSAC Player of the Year sophomore Faith Matter, who leads the team in goals with 10 and assists with 11 for a total of 31 points. Right behind her offensively is junior Alyson Cutter, First Team All-League honoree, who sits with seven goals and three assists for the next team-high 17 points. Junior midfielder Kaitlynn Haughey joins them on the All-League First Team, having five goals and two assists, while main Golden Rams defender sophomore Jacqueline Graham also received First Team All-League honors, holding down the backline for West Chester all season. To round out WCU, senior midfielder Julia Raybold was named Second Team All-League, knocking in three goals and dishing out one assist.
The Rest of the Field: To finish out the Atlantic Region bracket, No. 4 seed Gannon opens play against No. 5 seed Mercyhurst at 1 p.m. West Chester and Frostburg will kickoff at 3 p.m., followed by No. 2 seed Kutztown facing No. 7 seed Concord at 6 p.m., as No. 1 seed Charleston (WV) received the first round bye.
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- Women's Soccer Receives 16th Consecutive Ethics and Sportsmanship AwardThe Frostburg State Women's Soccer program once again was among the recipients of the United Soccer Coaches Ethics and Sportsmanship Award, the 16th straight season with the honor.
- Thompson and Bilger Announced CSC Academic All-Americans for Women's SoccerSeniors Hannah Thompson and Ashley Bilger were named CSC Academic All-Americans, as announced on Wednesday by College Sports Communicators.
- Smith Announced D2CCA Third Team All-AmericanJunior Cat Smitt was announced D2CCA Third Team All-American on Wednesday, by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association.
- Four Selected to All-Region Team for Women's SoccerThe 2023 United Soccer Coaches announced NCAA Division II Women's All-Atlantic Region teams on Monday, with seniors Ashley Bilger, Toni Fiocco-Mizer, and Hannah Thompson, along with junior Cat Smith receiving the honors.
- Cat Smith Named D2CCA Women's Soccer First Team All-RegionJunior defender Cat Smith was named D2CCA First Team All-Region on Tuesday, as announced by the organization.
- Five Earn College Sports Communicators Academic All-District for Women's SoccerSeniors Ashley Bilger, Toni Fiocco-Mizer, and Hannah Thompson, along with juniors Carolyn DeSena and Cat Smith, all received CSC Academic All-District Honors, announced and selected by College Sports Communicators.
