Nov. 13, 2007
Patriot League Women's Soccer Release - 11.13.07 
Navy to Play No. 12 West Virginia In NCAA First Round
The Mids are set to open up NCAA Tournament play when they travel to Morgantown, W.Va. to take on Big East Tournament Champion West Virginia (15-4-2, 9-1-1). The NCAA Tournament first-round game will take place at West Virginia University's Dick Dlesk Stadium in a game that is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16.
Navy earned its second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, and its third in the last five years, after winning the Patriot League Tournament last weekend. The Mids are 1-2 all-time in NCAA play, defeating William & Mary on PKs in `06, and falling to Penn State in 2003 and North Carolina in 2006.
Navy has had a solid season thus far, posting an overall record of 14-4-4 and a record of 4-1-2 in Patriot League play. The Mids have played two games against NCAA Tournament teams this year, losing to James Madison and William & Mary earlier in the season.
The Midshipmen earned the Patriot League's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament by winning its second consecutive Patriot League Tournament title. Navy, the tournament's No. 3 seed, defeated No. 2 American 2-0 in the semifinals, thanks to two goals from senior forward Brigitte Fox. The Mids followed that win with a 1-0 victory over No. 1 seed and host Bucknell in the championship game. Junior goalkeeper Lizzie Barnes has now posted four shutouts in her last four Patriot League Tournament games. Fox, who has scored nine goals in the last five games and 16 overall, was named the Tournament MVP.
Navy had three players named to the Second-Team All-Patriot League. Sophomore defenders Lauren Bresnahan and Shelly Moeller earned their second All-Patriot League nod to start their careers, while junior midfielder Julie Reynolds also earned her second selection.
Barnes, Bresnahan, Moeller and freshman forward Carissa Youker were selected for the Patriot League All-Tournament Team. Barnes kept her score-sheet clean for the fourth consecutive Tournament game, marking the 20th and 21st shutouts of her career. Bresnahan and Moeller were superb on defense, keeping a potent Bucknell offense in check during the championship game. Youker scored the game-winning goal in the final minutes of the first half to secure the victory for Navy.
Navy and West Virginia have met twice before. The Mids have a 1-1-0 record, with the lone win coming in 1996.
Patriot League Notebook
Patriot League Women's Soccer CoSIDA Selections
The Patriot League had 10 women's soccer student-athletes named to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Teams. First-team honorees included American junior Krystn Hodge, Army junior Sarah Goss, Navy senior Kari Weniger, Navy junior Lizzie Barnes and Navy sophomore Lauren Bresnahan. Second-team selections included Army sophomore Elizabeth Betterbed, Bucknell sophomore Chelsea Brinkman, Bucknell sophomore Lauren Stoller, Colgate junior Josie Johnson and Lehigh senior Jen Fetsick.
BARNES-torming the Record Books
Navy goalkeeper Lizzie Barnes has had an incredible pair of seasons on the pitch for the Mids. The junior from New Orleans, La. led the nation in GAA and save percentage a season ago, and has been impressive again this season. She is also making an assault on the Patriot League record books, moving up the ranks in career shutouts and career GAA. With her two shutouts in the Patriot League Tournament, Barnes moved to sixth on the career shutouts list with 21. She also boasts the top GAA in Patriot League history, with a career mark of 0.5. She has allowed just 24 goals in her career.
Patriot League In the NCAA Tournament
The Patriot League has recorded two victories in NCAA postseason play, with the most recent being Navy's win over William & Mary in 2006. Colgate also tallied a victory in 2004, when they defeated Arizona by a score of 1-0.
Quotable
"We are excited to have the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament once again. We fought through some early injuries and some tough losses against quality teams and I think we're peaking at the right time. We have the talent and we are healthy heading into the tournament, and our mentality right now is that we can play with anyone."
"West Virginia has put together a fantastic season and it has established itself as one of the premier programs both in the region and on a national level. We will have to play an entire 90-minute game to be successful against a quality team like West Virginia."
Navy Head Coach Carin Gabarra after learning her team's postseason fate.
