Women's Soccer NCAA Tournament Release - First Round

Nov. 7, 2006

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NCAA Tournament - First Round

Friday, November 10
Michigan vs. UW-Milwaukee - 5:00 p.m.
at Alumni Field in South Bend, Ind. (hosted by Notre Dame)

No. 3 Florida vs. Loyola - 6:00 p.m.
at Valley Fields in Milwaukee, Wis. (hosted by Marquette)

Top Performances from the Horizon League Championship

Cynthia Morote-Ariza, Loyola
Freshman * Forward * Chicago, Ill.
Morote-Ariza had three assists in the Horizon League Championship, including two in the final game. She earned the tournament's MVP award and increased her school-record point total to 27 (nine goals, nine assists).

Jackie Vera, Loyola
Freshman * Forward * Chicago, Ill.
Vera got the Ramblers on the board in the Championship game with a marker in the 36th minute. She also tallied in LU's quarterfinal match against Youngstown State on Oct. 29.

Ashley Morawski, Loyola
Freshman * Midfielder * St. Charles, Ill.
Morawski found the back in each of Loyola's last two contests after scoring just once in the team's first 21 games. Her header off of a Morote-Ariza free kick in the Championship game gave the Ramblers their second Horizon League title in program history.

Mary Parker, Detroit
Senior * Forward * Troy, Mich.
Parker moved up the Horizon League's charts with her 46th and 47th career goals in the League tournament. Her left-foot blast from 35-yards out was the difference in the Titans semifinal upset over top-seeded UW-Milwaukee, while a penalty-kick goal rounded out her career with 111 points -- the sixth-most in conference history.

All-Tournament Team
Cynthia Morote-Ariza, Loyola (MVP)
Jackie Vera, Loyola
Ashley Morawski, Loyola
Heather Lau, Loyola
Mary Parker, Detroit
Shelley Marick, Detroit
Ginny Graczyk, UW-Milwaukee
Erin Kreuser, UW-Milwaukee
Amanda Winn, UW-Milwaukee
Angie Muir, Butler
GK - Katie Fortenberry, Detroit

NCAA Tournament First-Round Notes

No. 3 Florida (13-5-4, 7-1-3 SEC) vs. Loyola (14-6-3; 5-1-1 HL)
at Marquette University - Milwaukee, Wis. - 6 p.m. ET
Loyola Notes:
- Loyola claimed its second-ever Horizon League title with a 1-0 victory over Detroit on Sunday. The Ramblers previously won the crown in 2003, coincidentally, with a win over Detroit.
- The Ramblers notched a school-best 14 wins this season under second-year coach Frank Mateus.
- The team's six losses on the season were all by a single goal.
- Of Loyola's seven one-goal wins this season, four have come on goals scored in the final 10 minutes of regulation or overtime, including both wins over Detroit.
- LU led the conference and set a school record with 42 goals in 2006 and was held scoreless only two times during the season.
- In 14 of the team's 23 games, the Ramblers found the net multiple times.
- The Ramblers are 7-1-1 when leading at the half and 14-2-2 when allowing one goal or less this season.
- Freshman Cynthia Morote-Ariza leads the team in scoring with 27 points (nine goals, nine assists), while Mary Dale (19 points; eight goals, three assists) and Jackie Vera (17 points; six goals, five assists) also own double-figure point totals.
- Senior keeper Emily Peick has turned in eight clean sheets this season and a 0.95 goals-against average.
- Loyola has yet to face an SEC opponent this season.


Michigan (9-7-5, 4-4-3 Big Ten) vs. UW-Milwaukee (16-3-1; 7-0-0 HL)
at Notre Dame University - South Bend, Ind. - 5 p.m. ET
UW-Milwaukee Notes:
- UW-Milwaukee had its school-best 13-game unbeaten and 11-game winning streaks snapped with a semifinal loss to Detroit in the Horizon League Championship on Friday.
- The Panthers registered 15 shutouts in 20 games this season.
- Sophomore netminder Erin Kane has posted a League-record 25 scoreless games in just 39 career games. If the season ended today, her 0.49 goals-against average would be the best in conference history.
- UWM ranks in the top 10 nationally in shutout percentage (fourth, .750), goals-against average (sixth, 0.439) and winning percentage (seventh, 0.825).
- For the first time in program history, UWM swept the other three Division I schools in Wisconsin. The team beat Marquette 2-0 (Sept. 12), UW-Green Bay 3-2 (Oct. 4) and Wisconsin 1-0 (Oct. 22).
- UW-Milwaukee is 1-1-0 vs. Big Ten competition this season, dropping a 2-0 decision to Indiana and besting Wisconsin 1-0.
- The Panthers are 0-4-1 in NCAA Tournament play, making previous appearances in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005.
- Their one tie came in the 2005 First Round vs. Purdue, advancing in a penalty kick shootout, 5-4.
- UWM and UM have met just once before, with the Wolverines scoring a 3-2 win Oct. 22, 2000.
- Milwaukee drew a Big Ten team for the third time in five NCAA trips (Minnesota/1997, Purdue/2005).