W&J PAC Tournament Semifinal Preview
WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The three-time defending Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament champion Washington & Jefferson women’s soccer team hosts Waynesburg in Tuesday evening’s PAC Semifinal.
W&J (14-3-1, 8-0-1) is the No. 1 seed after running through conference play unbeaten and winning the PAC regular-season title for the first time in school history.
The Presidents enter the semifinals with a school-record, 13-game unbeaten streak (12-0-1), having not lost since September 15th.
W&J defeated Waynesburg 2-1 in overtime on October 15th in Washington. Sophomore Holly Shipley (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) scored the game-winning goal midway through the second overtime period off a lead pass from senior Elizabeth Bendick (Yonkers, N.Y./Hackley). Freshman Jess Skovira (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) scored the game’s opening goal before Waynesburg’s Susie Godwin tied the game in the 74th minute.
W&J has won 17-straight games between the teams and holds a 26-14 advantage in the all-time series. The Yellow Jackets last win in the series was a 4-1 victory in Waynesburg on October 1, 2001. Shipley has two goals in two career games against the Yellow Jackets, while Bendick has a goal and two assists in four games. Senior goalkeeper Stephanie Saussol (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) is 3-0 with a 1.00 goals against average in her career against Waynesburg.
The W&J offense, led by Shipley’s 12 goals, tops the PAC with 53 goals. Junior Chrissy Marcius (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) is the conference leader with 14 assists, closely followed by freshman teammate Tatum Marucci (Youngstown, Ohio/Poland Seminary), who has 12.
The Presidents’ defense has been strong all season, as it has pitched 12 shutouts, one shy of the school record set in 2008. W&J has conceded only 12 goals and leads the PAC with a 0.65 goals against average. A trio of goaltenders have split time in net for the Presidents. Saussol has notched seven wins, including four shutouts, and has stopped 52 shots. Sophomore Samantha Gribowicz (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) allowed just one goal in 417 minutes of action (0.22 GAA) and has four shutouts, while freshman Heather Betancourt (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle) has earned three victories.
Waynesburg is led by Courtney Ebersole, who is tied for the PAC lead with 13 goals, along with six assists for 34 points. Goalkeeper Katrina Kelly started 18 games, winning 12, while earning nine shutouts and a 1.08 goals against average.
