Judson, ECC women seek postseason titles

Postseason women's college soccer will be in abundance in Elgin Saturday.

Both ECC and Judson University will host championship matches that will have conference and regional implications.

ECC, the 2007 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference champion, will bring a 15-1 mark into its Region IV championship match against College of Lake County at noon at Elgin Sports Complex Field 10.

Judson, fresh off an intense shootout victory over nationally ranked Saint Xavier Wednesday, will square off against Robert Morris College for the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) championship at noon at Dawson Field on Judson's campus.

ECC, which holds two victories over Lake County already this season, will look to advance to its second straight NJCAA Division I district championship. The winner of the ECC-Lake County game faces the winner of the Schoolcraft (Livonia, Mich.)-Cincinnati State match on Nov. 3 for a chance to advance to the national finals in Albany, Ga.

"Just because we haven't lost to them doesn't mean anything," said ECC sophomore goalie and Bartlett High School product Stephanie Mariotti, one of the Spartans' captains who has a 1.084 goals-against average. "We still have to play just as hard as we have in any other game. We have to think that way because the other team wants it as much as we do."

The Spartans have found the net 47 times this season with over half of those tallies (27) coming off the foot of Hoffman Estates graduate Kristin Rukhaberlen, who was recently named the Region IV player of the year as a freshman. She has 59 points this season.

ECC has also been aided by Dundee-Crown's Taylor Cassidy (5 goals, 6 assists), Westminster Christian grad Abby Hoeflich (4 goals, 6 assists) and Bartlett's Stacey Wollert (4 goals, 6 assists). ECC has surrendered only 18 goals in 15 matches. Hoeflich, Wollert and Westminster Christian's Erica Schrieber were all named to the all-Region IV first team. Cassidy was a second-team selection along with teammates Kathryn Pansino (Larkin), Samantha Schiessl (Streamwood) and Sarah Sester (Kirkland Hiawatha).

"All 14 players we have are very good," said ECC coach Simon Brinklow. "We don't have a weak player. Honestly, you don't win 15 games without having good goalkeeping, defense, midfielders and a good offense."

Mariotti feels the team's chemistry has also factored into the equation.

"It's the relationship we have as a team," said Mariotti. "Everybody gets along really well and that makes us stronger."

ECC is in search of the program's first-ever national finals berth.

Judson (10-5-2), by beating top-seed Saint Xavier for the first time ever and earning its first win ever against a nationally ranked Top 10 team, has a place in the CCAC title match for the first time in program history. Judson is the No. 4 seed in the tournament. Robert Morris is the No. 6 seed. The Eagles bring an eight-match unbeaten streak into the contest.

The winner is guaranteed a Top 2 seed in the upcoming NAIA regional and a first-round bye.

"We have a lot of people supporting each other," said Judson's Christina Thornton, a Dundee-Crown graduate, who leads the Eagles in scoring.

"It's nice to have people backing each other up out there."

Judson coach Freddie King said the team's recent come-from-behind 3-2 overtime win against Olivet Nazarene in the conference tournament really showed his team's mettle.

"They were down 2-0," said King. "They showed a lot of character. They knew they weren't out of it. They battled back. And then we play the number 6 team in the country and really battled hard. I think we've been resolute in our approach to being successful. They continue to gel and they continue to pull for each other."

Thornton leads Judson with 16 goals and 4 assists. Bakersfield, Calif., native Samantha Vestal (7 goals, 9 assists), Scotland product Lynsey McFarland (6 goals, 7 assists) and Germany's Baerbel Hartner each have tallied 10 or more points this season.

Larkin graduate Alice Phoneprasith has allowed just 2 goals in her last 3 victories (2 regulation shutouts). She has 3 shutouts this season.

"This is a one-game elimination now," said Thornton. "We're going to go out there and do the best we can and hopefully get a win. We want to continue this."

Following the Judson women's game, the Judson men's team will host a CCAC tournament semifinal match against Olivet Nazarene at 2:30 p.m. Judson (11-4-3), the CCAC regular-season champion, earned a bye in the first round. The winner of Saturday's game advances to the CCAC championship match Tuesday at the highest remaining seed.