FROSTBURG, Md. - For the first time since 2005, Frostburg State women's soccer earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championship by defeating Penn State Altoona, 1-0, in overtime and will play the No. 1 ranked in the Great Lakes region in the opening round of the 2009 NCAA Division III tournament, as announced by the NCAA on Monday.
This season, FSU (18-3) will square off against No. 11 ranked Otterbein (18-1-1) on Saturday, November 14 in Westerville, Ohio at 11:00 am in the first round. Last season, the Bobcats fell in the AMCC championship game to Penn State Altoona, which then lost, 1-0, to Otterbein in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
Frostburg State enters the tournament this season on a seven-game winning streak and ranked seventh in the nation in scoring with 4.1 goals per game and 26th in goals against (0.526). FSU is also 7-3 in away games this fall.
Junior forward
Lauren Russell (Waldorf, Md./Westlake) leads the FSU offensive attack as she is fourth in the country in points per game (3.33), tied for eighth for assists per game (0.79) and is 15th in goals per game (1.29). The three-time AMCC Player of the Week has posted 27 goals and 16 assists this season. Aiding in the attck is freshman
Amanda Wharton (Mt. Airy, Md./South Carroll), who has put up outstanding numbers as a first-year player. Wharton is 17th in the nation in goals per game (1.14) and tied for sixth in the AMCC in assists per game (0.43). Russell and Wharton have combined for 57 goals this season to lead the AMCC.
Defensively, Frostburg State is led by junior
Heather Fleishell (Middletown, Md./Middletown). The junior defender has started all 21 games this season and is the anchor on a Bobcat defense that has allowed just 12 goals with 15 shutouts. FSU is ranked 10th in the nation is shutout percentage (0.737) and 26th in goals against average (0.526).
The Bobcats have put two primary keepers in the net this season. Senior
Stephanie Gwinn (Ijamsville, Md./Urbana) has played in 12 games, making 10 starts this season making 11 saves and posting a .800 goals against average. Gwinn has shared the net with sophomore
Michelle Buckmaster (St. Leonard, Md./Calvert) who has nine starts in 13 games. Buckmaster has 28 saves on the season with a 0.45 goals against average.
Otterbein enters the tournament ranked 10th in the NCAA ranks in goals against average (0.34), fourth in shutouts (16) and seventh in win/loss percentage (.925). The Cardinals are led offensively by junior forward Lindsey Rudibaugh, who has totaled 18 points (seven goals, four assists) for the season. OC has spread the ball around the field with 13 other players netting at least one goal this season. The Otterbein defense is led by a trio of junior defenders, Jenny Knox, Laura Vasbinder, and Hannah Fairbanks. They have combined to lead the 10th ranked defense in goals against average and helped the Cardinals to allowing only seven goals on the season.