PHILADELPHIA – For the second straight season, the La Salle women's soccer team will take on an ACC opponent in the first round of the NCAA tournament. This time, #3 ranked Virginia is on tap for the Blue and Gold in what promises to be an up tempo game in Charlottesville on Friday evening.



La Salle Explorers (17-4-1, 8-0-1 A-10) vs. #3 Virginia Cavaliers (16-4-1, 6-3-1 ACC)

Friday, November 9, 2012 | 6 PM | Klockner Stadium

Live Stats |  In-Game Twitter Updates (@ExplorerGameDay)



Coach's Corner

Head coach Paul Royal on…



What to expect from Virginia:

They're going to be well informed and well prepared for a team like us. They're arguably one of the best possession teams in the country and they have a lot of kids with a lot of national team experience. So, we're expecting a really difficult game.



They manage the ball a lot they'll try to attack a lot of areas behind our back line through a lot of the seams. They have a lot of top caliber players that are able to change on the dime from one system to another.



Handling the ACC environment…

Last year really helped us with the experience of playing in the NCAA tournament against Maryland. Our kids will go in with a very relaxed attitude just as they did in the A-10 final last weekend. We'll be hungry and prepared and they'll believe they can compete.



Scouting the Explorers

La Salle was the first team to appear in the “receiving votes” category of the latest NCAA Coaches Poll, tallying a season-high 30 votes, leaving the Explorers just one spot out of the top 25. The Explorers enter Friday's contest winners of their last three and boast a 14-1-1 record dating back to mid-September.



For the second consecutive year, La Salle registered an undefeated A-10 regular season and won the conference title outright this year with victories over Charlotte (2-0), Butler (1-0), and VCU (2-1) in last week's A-10 tournament. The win over VCU in the championship game marked Royal's 100^th at La Salle. Royal was named A-10 Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.



Five Explorers were named to the all-conference team last week, including A-10 Defensive Player of the Year Honoree Courtney Niemiec. Niemiec anchors a stingy La Salle defense which has recorded 10 team shutouts on the season. The Explorer defense has been particularly difficult for opponents to crack of late, registering shutouts in four of their last five matches.



Goalkeeper Gabrielle Pakhtigian has been in goal for nine of the team's 10 shutouts this year and ranks in the top 50 nationally in goals against average (.798). Defensive midfield specialist Jourdan McVicker has helped the defense stay glued all season long, and was rewarded for her terrific play in the A-10 tournament by being named most outstanding player. Joining her on the all-tournament team were teammates Ashley Chilcoat and Renee Washington.



Washington netted both La Salle goals in the A-10 championship game and has paced the Explorers this season by scoring and distributing. The three-time all-conference selection leads the team with 23 points (8 goals, 7 assists) this season. Sophomore Kelsey Haycook has tallied 20 points (8 goals, 4 assists) this year despite missing five games due to injury. Classmate Maryam Huseini has dished out a team-high eight assists, ranking in the top-100 nationally.  



Scouting the Cavaliers

Virginia enters the weekend as hot as any team in the country; winners of their last five, the Cavaliers lambasted Maryland 4-0 in the ACC championship game on Sunday, jettisoning their national ranking to #3. Known for its offensive prowess, Virginia ranks seventh of 330 teams nationally with 2.62 goals/game, led by leading scorer Caroline Miller (.762 goals/game).



The Cavaliers defense has been a staple this year as well, ranking 39^th nationally in goals against average (.752) and have shutout their opponents 14 times. Virginia advanced to the Elite Eight in the national tournament last season, knocking off LIU Brooklyn, Washington State, and Virginia Tech before falling to ACC-foe Florida State in the regional final.