Women's Soccer Team Makes History Twice

The Athenas soccer team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time on Friday evening and then won an NCAA game for the first time in school history on Saturday night to advance to the NCAA Sectional this Friday.  CMS (12-8-2) will play Carleton College (17-5) in Wheaton, IL at approximately 7:30 (game starts 30 minutes after 5:00 Washington University @ Wheaton College game ends).

CMS, seeded fourth in the four team regional, opened the tournament Friday facing top-seeded Hardin-Simmons University.  Despite dominating the run of play and outshooting the Cowgirls 28-7, the game ended in a 0-0 tie in double overtime.  The teams competed in a penalty kick shootout to determine which team advanced to the second round.  Both teams converted their first two rounds of tries.  Camila Friedman-Gerlicz (JR, Santa Fe, NM) saved the Cowgirls' third try.  After four more successful tries, CMS was poised to close out the shootout, but their fifth try hit the post.  Both teams shot wide to begin the sudden victory rounds.  HSU also shot wide in next round and when Sarah Blavet (SR, Austin, TX) converted her shot the Athenas advanced for the first time.

The Athenas faced UC Santa Cruz, 2-1 winners over host Redlands on Friday, on Saturday for the second time this season.  CMS beat the Banana Slugs at home 4-2 on October 10.  CMS, who had lost at UCSC in their last NCAA appearance in 2006, proved turnabout is fair play and won resoundingly 4-0.  Laura Hagen (SO, Bellevue, WA), CMS' leading scorer on the season, scored the first of her two goals just eight minutes into the game.  Giselle Galanto (JR, Duarte), the team's second leading goal-scorer, followed 17 minutes later and the rout was on.  Hagen added her second three minutes into the second half and Nicole Sady-Kennedy (JR, Ladera Ranch) sealed the win five minutes later.  Friedman-Gerlicz only needed to make one save in the game as the Athenas defense only allowed six shots and CMS was able to get backup keeper Lindsay Delp (FR, Yakima, WA) almost sixteen minutes of valuable playoff experience.

Since the beginning of post-season play in the SCIAC Tournament, the Athenas defense has not allowed a goal in 360 minutes of regulation and 50 minutes of overtime.