The University of Rochester women's soccer team earned an at-large berth in the 2024 NCAA Division III Championships on Monday afternoon and will host a first and second round regional this weekend at Fauver Stadium within the Prince Athletic Complex.
 
Rochester's NCAA appearance is its second straight and is the 22nd overall in team history, ranking tied for second most among all Rochester teams. Last season, UR reached the national quarterfinals (Elite 8) and was a host for both the regional and sectional rounds.
 
2024 is the seventh time in team history that Rochester women's soccer has hosted NCAA postseason competition on the River Campus. The other years in which NCAA's have taken place at Fauver Stadium were 1987, 1992, 1996, 2006, 2009 and 2023.
 
The Yellowjackets were one of 21 at-large teams selected to the field based on the NCAA Power Index (NPI) ranking system used for the first time this year. Rochester sat at #11 in Division III in the final NPI rankings and was fourth at-large team into the field in 2024.
 
Joining the Yellowjackets at the Rochester regional this weekend is Amherst College, SUNY New Paltz and Emmanuel College (Massachusetts).
 
Games will take place on Saturday, November 16 and Sunday, November 17 at Fauver Stadium. Rochester will kick things off against Emmanuel at 1 pm on Saturday, with Amherst playing New Paltz in the other first round game that day, starting at approximately 3:30 pm. On Sunday, the two advancing teams from Saturday's first round action will square off at 3 pm for a spot in the sectional round (Sweet 16).
 
Tickets will be sold at the gate for the games this weekend, with prices being $6 for adults, $3 for seniors, students with ID and children ages 2-12. Anyone under the age of two will be admitted free. Admission cost gets you into the stadium for both games on Saturday, with additional tickets needing to be purchased for Sunday's second round matchup. Ticket sales will begin 60 minutes prior to kickoff of the first game of the day.
 
For fans who will be unable to attend the games in person, there will be live streams available with commentary on NCAA.com or you can follow live in-game statistics, with all the links being found on the Rochester Regional Tournament page here.
 

ROCHESTER (11-3-3, #15 United Soccer Coaches Ranking, #11 NPI Ranking)
This season, Rochester sits at 11-3-3 overall and finished tied for second in the University Athletic Association standings with a 4-2-1 record. The UAA overall had a terrific season, getting seven teams into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Yellowjackets started the season strong, going unbeaten through six games. As play turned to UAA opponents, UR posted three results against ranked teams, defeating #14 CWRU and #15 NYU in back-to-back contests, before drawing even against #23 Emory to close the regular season.
 
Guiding Rochester on the sidelines is third year head coach Ashley Van Vechten who currently has a 33-8-13 record on the River Campus. Van Vechten also spend three seasons (4 years) at Suffolk University prior to returning to her alma mater. As a player at UR, Van Vechten participated in two NCAA Tournaments in 2005 and 2006, making the Sweet 16 each year. She earned three All-America honors. Later on, she was an assistant coach for the Yellowjackets from 2011 to 2017.
 
Rochester's leading scorer in 2024 is first-year forward Natalie Santangelo who had seven goals and three assists for 17 total points. Senior Claire Grover has six goals for 12 points, while sophomore Maya Bravo has three goals and four assists for ten points, ranking third on the team.
 
UR's defense has also been particularly strong this season, led by senior goalkeeper Grace Kuropatkin. Kuropatkin has started every game this season and boasts a 0.73 goals against average and .867 save percentage, both among the top-75 in Division III this season. UR's back line unit of senior Emma Cohen along with first-year's Claudia Ferreira and Remi Cherkas have also helped the Yellowjackets post nine shutouts as a team while holding all but three opponents to one goal or less.
 

EMMANUEL (18-2-1, #62 NPI Ranking)
Rochester's first round opponent, Emmanuel has had a tremendous 2024 campaign so far, earning their berth into the NCAA Tournament via automatic bid. The Saints won the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) title, rolling through Norwich University and Rivier Univeristy in the first two rounds before beating Johnson & Wales University 2-1in the title game. Emmanuel boasts an 18-2-1 record overall and was 12-2-1 in conference play. Francis Okaroh leads the Saints squad and is in his fourth year at the helm of the program. His record currently sits at 57-17-6 (.750) overall as Emmanuel head coach.
 
The Saints are the leading NCAA Division III in scoring, with 105 total goals on the season, averaging 5.00 goals per contest. Junior Sarah Dullaghan has a remarkable 45 goals and 9 assists this season, tallying 7 game-winners for Emmanuel. She is the top scorer in Division III by 18 goals. Additionally, Emmanuel has Division III's top assist player, with Liz McCormick handing out 24 helpers so far in 2024. Teigan Robie is Emmanuel's top goalkeeper this season, with a 0.63 GAA and .765 save percentage in 18 games played.
 

AMHERST (11-1-6, #18 United Soccer Coaches Ranking, #26 NPI Ranking)
Amherst won the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament title last weekend, ousting Colby College on penalty kicks following a 0-0 draw through regulation and overtime. The Mammoths topped Middlebury in the quarterfinals and Tufts in the semifinals of the tournament and currently sport a 11-1-6 record overall and 5-1-4 mark in the NESCAC. Head Coach Jen Hughes has been leading Amherst since 2004 and is in her 20th season (21st year). She has a career record of 256-67-42 (.759) and has guided the Mammoths to the NCAA Tournament every year since 2011.
 
Leading the Mammoths is senior Patience Kum who has 18 points so far on the season, coming on five goals and eight assists. Teammate's Abby Schwartz (15 points, 6 goals, 3 assists), Caroline Coletti (14 points, 7 goals) and Precious Novidzro (10 points, 3 goals, 4 assists) are all in double-digits in points this season. Between the pipes, Mika Fisher has posted seven shutouts and allowed nine goals all season, sporting a 0.53 goals against average and .866 save percentage.
 

SUNY NEW PALTZ (15-2-2, #41 NPI Ranking)
New Paltz also was a conference champion this season, with the Hawks winning the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) in 2024. New Paltz didn't allow a goal in its conference tournament run, defeating Fredonia 4-0 before blanking Cortland 2-0 in the title game last Saturday. The Hawks have a 15-2-2 record and were nearly perfect in conference play this season, going 8-0-1. Leading the team is Mike Eckberg who is in his eighth year (7th season). He currently sports a 53-52-17 record (.504), with the 2024 season being his best since joining New Paltz.
 
Senior Rachel Eisert currently leads a potent 1-2 scoring punch for the Hawks, leading the team with 34 points on the year, coming on 15 goals and 4 assists. Classmate Gaby Treble is right behind in the goal scoring column with 14 tallies this year, totaling 28 points. Both have five game-winning goals. Brooke Kelleher (5 goals, 7 assists, 17 points) and Mia Baldinger (3 goals, 5 assists, 11 points) are also players to watch for offensively for the Hawks. In goal, Maddie Franklin has started every game and has a 0.42 goals against average and .877 save percentage. Her 11 shutouts are seventh in Division III this season.