TEANECK, N.J. - The Saint Francis women's soccer team plays in the Northeast Conference Tournament for the sixth consecutive season in 2015. SFU enters the field as the No. 4 seed and will face top-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday at 11 a.m. No. 2 Robert Morris and No. 3 Bryant will play in the second semifinal at 2 p.m.
Kunze Among National Leaders
Red Flash senior goalkeeper Romina Kunze (Frankfurt, Germany/Carl-von-Weinberg-Schule) currently ranks sixth in the NCAA in saves per game and in total saves after leading the nation in those categories during the early part of the season. She's the conference leader in those categories. Kunze is also second in the conference in goalie minutes played, with more than 1,546 minutes played this season in her 16 starts. Kunze also came close to breaking the school record for saves in a game with her 26 saves against Pittsburgh in the season-opening tie with the Panthers. The record is 33, set in 1991.
Gallaher Scores Some More
Casey Gallaher (Sidman, Pa./Forest Hills) netted her fifth goal of the season in Sunday's 1-1 tie at Central Connecticut. Gallaher has scored all five of her goals during NEC play, and the Red Flash hasn't lost a game in which she has scored. SFU is 4-0-1 when Gallaher scores.
McGinnis Nets Another
Freshman defender Shannon McGinnis (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) scored her third goal of the season in the regular season finale against Fairleigh Dickinson. The goal was her second via penalty kick. McGinnis is tied for second on the team with three goals along with Allison LaDuke (Greensburg, Pa./Greater Latrobe) and Gabi Morales (Madrid, Spain/Colegio La Inmaculada-Marillac).
NEC Winning Season Clinched
Saint Francis head coach Brenda van Stralen clinched another winning record in Northeast Conference play in 2015, meaning that she has never had a losing NEC record in her 12 years at the helm of the women's soccer program. At the conclusion of the 2015 season, van Stralen is 66-28-15 in conference play. SFU has a winning conference record in 11 of those seasons, while the team went 5-5 in 2009.
Fast Flash Start in Conference Play
The Red Flash are no strangers to fast starts in Northeast Conference play. SFU started the season 4-0 in conference play, giving the Flash at least a 4-0 start for the third time in four years. SFU's 2-0 start to conference play marked the fifth consecutive year that the team started with two straight wins.
Going For Championship No. 3
The Red Flash has qualified for the NEC Tournament every year since 2010. SFU won the tournament championship in 2010 and 2013.
