Women’s NCAA soccer championship capsules
Friday’s first round
At Fetzer Field, Chapel Hill
Liberty (13-7-1) at No. 3 North Carolina (14-4-1), 6:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN3
Tickets: Adults $8, students age 7 and up $5, senior citizens 55 and up $5, groups of 20 or more $3 each, children 6 and under free.
How they got here: Liberty won the Big South tournament; UNC received an at-large bid.
Winner will play: Texas A&M (15-6-1) or Washington (12-6-2) on Nov. 20, site TBD
Players to watch: Liberty – So. F Jennifer Knoebel (6g-8a-20 pts), Sr. M Brittany Aanderud (4-6-14), Jr. GK Holly Van Noord (0.82 goals-against avg., 11 shutouts). UNC – Sr. F Alexa Newfield (10-3-23), So. F Jessie Scarpa (7-7-21), Sr. F Summer Green (7-3-17), Jr. M Joanna Boyles (4-4-12).
Notes: This is the second meeting all-time between the schools. UNC posted a 4-0 victory in the first round of the 2013 NCAA tournament. … Liberty senior D Alex Mack was named the Big South tournament MVP, leading a defense that allowed only one goal in three games. … Liberty has two players from North Carolina, Sr. M Rebekah Page (Caldwell Academy, Greensboro) and Jr. D Erika Troutman (Hickory HS). Page was a second-team All-Big South pick. … Scarpa and Sr. D-M Katie Bowen earned first-team All-ACC honors. Boyles made the second team, and Newfield the third team. M Dorian Bailey and D Julia Ashley were named to the All-Freshman team. … UNC is 17-0 in NCAA first-round games, all at home, and has compiled a 120-10-3 record all-time in the tournament, winning 21 titles. … Liberty has never won an NCAA first-round game, losing all four to ACC schools (Virginia twice, Wake Forest and UNC).
At Koskinen Stadium, Durham
James Madison (14-6-2) at No. 3 Duke (10-5-4), 7 p.m.
TV: BDN
Tickets: Adults $7; students, seniors, children under 12 $3, children 5 and under $1, children 2 and under free. Because of the men’s basketball game, soccer fans will have to park in the men’s basketball general public parking, Circuit and PG9, for $10.
How they got here: James Madison won the Colonial Athletic Association tournament; Duke received an at-large bid.
Winner will play: South Florida (15-3-3) or Florida Gulf Coast (13-5-2) on Nov. 20, site TBD
Players to watch: JMU – Jr. F-M Ashley Herndon (14-6-34), Jr. M Allie Bunner (8-3-19), Sr. GK Ellen Forrest (0.92 GAA, 10 SOs). Duke – So. M Ashton Miller (5-5-15), Fr. M-F Taylor Racioppi (5-4-14), Fr. F Kayla McCoy (6-0-12), So. F Imani Dorsey (4-3-11), So. GK EJ Proctor (0.69 GAA, 8 SOs).
Notes: This is the first meeting between the two schools. … JMU coach David Lombardo (397-200-35) ranks seventh in wins among active Division I coaches and 13th all-time. … JMU’s Herndon, a first-team All-Colonial pick, was named the most outstanding player in the CAA tournament after scoring four goals, including two in a 3-2 championship win over William & Mary. … JMU was one of four CAA teams (with Hofstra, UNC Wilmington and William & Mary) to make the NCAA tournament, a league best. … Duke Jr. D Christina Gibbons was a first-team All-ACC pick. Miller and Jr. D Rebecca Quinn were third-team selections. Racioppi and McCoy made the All-Freshman team. … Duke is making its 21st NCAA tournament appearance and is 26-18-8 all-time, having reached the championship game in 1992 and 2011. … JMU has a 9-10 record in 10 previous NCAA tournament appearances, reaching the round of 16 three times, most recently in 2008.
Kip Coons
This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Women’s NCAA soccer championship capsules."