ERIE, Pa. – The Frostburg State Women's Soccer team is set to face Kutztown Friday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament.
How They Got Here: The Bobcats come into the game as the Mountain East Conference runners up, having drawn 0-0 with Fairmont State in the final but losing on penalty kicks. FSU is riding a 10-game win streak and sports a record of 18-1-2.
The Golden Bears enter with an overall record of 9-5-4, finishing third place in the PSAC East Division. KU was defeated in their quarterfinal matchup against Bloomsburg 2-0 and were the last team selected with an at-large bid to the tournament.
The Matchup: The teams have only faced each other once before, with Kutztown coming out 2-1 winners last Fall at the D2 in the DMV Tournament on a last-second winner.
The Players: FSU is led offensively by junior Toni Fiocco-Mizer, who was an All-MEC Second Team selection and is tied for third in the MEC with 14 goals this season, while also providing five assists for 33 total points. Fiocco-Mizer also leads the country in game-winning goals with nine, having added to that tally by scoring the winner over the Golden Eagles in the semis. Aiding her in goalscoring is sophomore forward Mackenzie Alonso (seven goals, five assists), sophomore midfielder Carolyn DeSena (five goals, five assists), junior midfielder Lela Clark (All-MEC Honorable Mention, five goals, five assists), and sophomore defender Cat Smith (All-MEC Second Team, five goals). The Bobcats also boast the top defense in the MEC, having allowed just 10 goals in 21 games for a 0.48 goals against average, with 15 clean sheets on the year, all best marks in the conference. Graduate defender Abbey Dennis is the leader of the unit, having been named the MEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and was an All-MEC First Team honoree. She is joined by sophomore Mei Homman, freshman Skylar Ehart, and Smith in front of her to protect the Frostburg goal, with the last line of defense being junior goalkeeper Ashley Bilger, who was an All-MEC Honorable Mention selection. Additionally in the postseason awards, FSU's midfield features junior Hannah Thompson, an All-MEC First Team selection, and freshman Carly Gillette, who earned a spot on the All-MEC Freshman Team.
Kutztown's offense is led by All-PSAC Eeast First Team graduate midfielder Kayla Argen, who led the team with seven goals and eight assists for 22 total points. Joining her in goalscoring efforts is junior forward Isabella Rossetti, another All-PSAC East First Team selection with six goals, followed by freshman forward Caroline McDonald, an All-PSAC East Second Team member with three goals and three assists. The defense is led by sophomore Bridget Curtis, another All-PSAC East First Team honoree, along with senior Kylee MacLeod, who earned a spot on the Second Team.
The Rest of the Field: One other first round game has been completed, as West Virginia State came back from a first half deficit to defeat Bloomsburg 3-2 in the region's 4-5 matchup, as the Yellow Jackets will face West Chester in the next round. Just after the Frostburg-Kutztown game, hosts Gannon will take on Fairmont State in the region's 3-6 match, with the winners from each going on to face one another on Sunday, Novermber 13.
