U-D Women's Soccer Looks to Keep Rolling

NEWARK, Del. - Coming off of a big 4-1 win over Siena College last week, the University of Delaware women's soccer team will once again look to defend its home turf this Friday night against Delaware State University in the third edition of the Route 1 Rivalry.

The Route 1 Rivalry will take place on Friday night, beginning at 7 p.m. at Delaware Mini-Stadium. The Hens hit the road on Sunday as they head to West Point, N.Y. to take on the Black Knights of the U.S. Military Academy (Army). The Sunday tilt is set for 1 p.m. at Clinton Field.

Special Parking Information (As Per GoArmySports.com) Anyone wishing to attend Sunday's game at Army will be required to show photo ID for each person in the vehicle as well as proof of registration and insurance for the vehicle. Please let the guard at the gate know you are heading for Clinton Field.

Looking for Number 200 With the 4-1 win over Siena College last week, Delaware head coach Scott Grzenda logged his 196th career win. He is now just four victories shy of the 200-win bench mark and will become the 41st NCAA Division I coach to reach the plateau.

Go Blue or Go Home Be sure to wear your Delaware blue Friday night for the Route 1 Rivalry and show your support for the Blue Hens. The first 100 fans in attendance will receive a Go Blue or Go Home spirit pin courtesy of the University's athletics marketing department.

Delaware vs. Delaware State: The Route 1 Rivalry Continues Friday night's game will be the third edition of the women's soccer Delaware/Delaware State Route 1 Rivalry.

It will be the first of three Delaware vs. Delaware State contests this week as the football team takes on the Hornets Saturday night at 6 p.m. in Delaware Stadium. The Blue Hen volleyball team will host DSU on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Barb Viera Court in the Carpenter Sports Building.

The series has heavily favored the Blue Hens, who hold a 2-0 mark against the only other NCAA Division I school in the state of Delaware. Not only is Delaware undefeated against the Hornets, but the back of the Hens goal has never been touched as they have outscored DSU 14-0 in the pair of games so far.

Five current Blue Hens have registered goals against the Hornets, led by junior Ali Miller and sophomore Shannon Kearney who have a pair of markers each. The two combined for four of the seven goals in last season's game as Miller also tallied an assist. Anna Lenczyk scored in the 2010 edition, while Stacie Dulkis and Tania Domingos each scored in 2009.

In a New York State of Mind Sunday's tilt against Army will be the third team from the state of New York the Hens have faced this year. The squad has fared well against the Empire State, holding a 2-0 record against New York schools. The Hens knocked off Stony Brook 3-0 in the opener of the James Madison/Fairfield Inn by Marriott Invitational and upended 2010 MAAC champion Siena 4-1 last week.

Going Up Against the Patriot League Of the eight institutions in the Patriot League, just two have winning records against Delaware: Army and Navy. The Black Knights are 1-0-0 against the Hens, winning last season's game 1-0 in Newark. The Midshipmen of the Naval Academy hold a 3-0-0 record against Delaware.

The Hens are undefeated against Lehigh (8-0-1), Bucknell (2-0-0) and American (1-0-0). All-time against Lafayette, Delaware is 6-1-0. The Hens have never faced Colgate or Holy Cross.

Going Up Against the Great West Conference Delaware State University competes in the Great West Conference for women's soccer. All-time, the Blue Hens have faced just two schools from the Great West, Delaware State and Howard.

Delaware is 3-1-0 against Great West schools, going 2-0 against Delaware State and 1-1 against Howard. The Hens have never competed against Houston Baptist, New Jersey Institute of Technology, North Dakota State, South Carolina State, South Dakota or Utah Valley.

Scouting the Hens: Delaware improved to 2-3-1 on the year with their 4-1 win over Siena last Friday night.



The Hens are 1-1-0 at Delaware Mini-Stadium so far this season and will be playing their first back-to-back home games of the year on Friday.

Junior Mel Pennington sets the pace for the Hens on offense with five points, tallying two goals and an assist. Senior Amy Pickard, a CAA Co-Player of the Week, tallied both her goals against Siena on Friday.

Four Blue Hens have one goal apiece, paced by Leigh Victory and Shannon Kearney, each of whom also has two assists. Chelsea Duffy and Tania Domingos account for Delaware's other two goals.

Senior Ali Miller leads Delaware in the shooting department, tallying 22 attempts, putting 10 on goal. Victory is second and the only other Hen with double-digit attempts, taking 10 on the year. Pickard is an efficient shooter, putting five of her seven shots on goal.

As a team, Delaware is balanced scoring-wise, putting away four total goals in each half. The Hens are out-shooting opponents 80-66 this year, including 42-31 in second half attempts.

In goal for Delaware, senior Breanna Stemler has started all six games, logging 506 minutes. She carries a goals against average of 1.25 while making 22 saves. Stemler has one shutout under her belt so far this year, bringing her career total to nine.

Sophomore Jess Levy has also seen time between the pipes for Delaware, playing the second half against Pennsylvania on Sept. 4. Levy has not allowed a goal this season, turning aside all three shots she has seen.

Scouting the Hornets: Delaware State is 1-6-1 overall, matching their win total from all of 2010. The Hornets' win this season came in a 12-0 rout of Lincoln University on Sept. 9.

Two Hornets have tallied six points already this year with both Theresa Wappett and Michelle Giorgilli putting in two goals and handing out two assists. For DSU players have four total points; Chelsea Boursiquot, Kelly Pelz-Butler and Randall Marshall have two goals apiece while Candace Wyre has one goal and two helpers.

Despite the 12-0 win, Delaware State and its opponents have each scored 15 goals this season. Katelyn Koslosky and Darcy Pelz-Butler, twin sister of Kelly, have split time in goal. Koslosky has made six starts, playing in 569 minutes this year while making 39 saves. Darcy Pelz-Butler has two starts for 180 minutes, making 14 saves. She has also posted one goal and one assist.

The Hornets have allowed 112 shots this season while they themselves have managed just 79. Delaware State has given up 46 corner kicks while taking 21.

Scouting the Black Knights: Home field has been a big factor to Army's 4-1-2 overall record; the Black Knights have played away from West Point, N.Y. twice this year, splitting their road results. But at Clinton Field, Army boasts an undefeated 3-0-2 record.

Army's lone loss of the year came at the hands of No. 12 Duke University in Durham, N.C.

Kim An, the Patriot League's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, leads Army's offense with four goals and one assist for nine points. An also has two of the Black Knights' four game-winner goals and was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week. Joey Molacek and Julia Stallard have four points each, with Molacek putting away two goals and Stallard adding a goal and two helpers.

In goal, Monica Lee has played every minute for Army this season. The two-time reigning Patriot League Defender of the Week has stopped 29 shots while carrying a 90.6 save percentage, ranking her 18th in the nation. Her goals against average of 0.40 leaves her 22nd in GAA in the national rankings.

Army has allowed only three goals in seven games this year, ranking them sixth in goals against average (0.40), 14th in shutout percentage (71.4) and 15th in team save percentage (90.9).