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The women’s volleyball team is off to California for their first round of NCAA’s. It has been quite an interesting ride for the Pioneers. Last year they finished as Northeast Conference champions and went on to play Nebraska and lost. However this year, they made the ride just as exciting.

The Pioneers were tied with Long Island University at the end of the regular season as regular season champions. Since both teams finished in first place, it was unknown as to who would host the NEC tournament. When they looked at regular seasons stats, LIU and SHU had both lost and beat each other. So what did it come down too? A coin toss! Now, I do not know if it just me, but this is the craziest thing I have ever heard.

So the Pioneers went to Long Island for the tournament in hopes of getting that conference championship ring and proving they deserved it all…again.

The Pioneers were first matched against Central Connecticut in the semi-finals and finished 3-1, prevailing over the Blue Devils. Their next match would be against, Long Island. The two first place teams meet in the finals! The Pioneers came out on top and won 3-1. This is the second year in a row as conference champions.

They are now on the road to Stanford in California. The game is Friday, December 2 at 10:00 p.m. EST. Good luck to the volleyball team!

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Check out this link to see the upcoming events for Sacred Heart Athletics!

http://www.sacredheartpioneers.com/composite

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The women’s soccer team took the road this past weekend to the NEC playoffs in Altoona, PA. They were matched up against the number one seed and host St. Francis University. The Pioneers trained hard all week and took into consideration their 0-2 lost against St. Francis in the regular season. They used this as motivation to work even harder and to prove a point not only to themselves, but to the entire conference as well.

Prior to the first game of the tournament, on Thursday night the Pioneers attended the NEC banquet with the three other teams who made playoffs. Many awards were handed out. Junior Jen Mulvey received First Team All- NEC, sophomore Alyssa Brandafino received Second Team All- NEC, and Jill Picinich and Kristen Verrette made the All- Rookie team. Not only did the Pioneer women succeed in athletic awards, they took home a good handful of academic awards as well.

As Friday’s game approached Sacred Heart was prepared to work hard from the first moment the whistle blew, until the very last one that came at 110 minutes. It was a very exciting game, with both teams fighting back and forth for a place in the NEC finals. St. Francis Red Flash had 11 shots with six on goal, while the Pioneers had 12 shots with three on goal. The Pioneers were on the prowl with seven different players taking offensive shots. Neither team was able to capitalize in the first or second half, which lead the teams into two 10-minute overtimes. Once again neither team was able to finish due to a tough defense and great goal tending.

After the overtime ended, the game was left to be decided by penalty kicks. This is never a way a team wants their fate to be decided. I personally do not think that penalty kicks were a good representation of how the game was played out and how a team should win. As the two teams picked their line ups for the kicks, the atmosphere was intense. The game would eventually end with St. Francis making four shots and the Pioneers finishing with three. Although this was a season ending game for the Pioneers, they look back and realized the great success they achieved throughout the season as a whole. They look forward to working on their weaknesses in the spring season and continue to strengthen as a team.

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With playoffs right around the corner, Sacred Heart athletes are finishing out the season with a bang. For the women’s soccer team, destiny is in their own hands.

How do the playoffs work?

-       The Northeast Conference playoffs consist of the top four teams in the conference at the end of the regular season.

-       The top seed team hosts the tournament.

-       First place plays fourth place, and second place plays third place.

-       The winners of each match meet in the finals at a shot to earn the NEC crown.

Last year St. Francis Red Flash won, and went on to NCAA tournament. As of right now they are looking to host the tournament this year. With two games left in conference, Sacred Heart is ranked fourth. What makes this interesting is that two teams, Robert Morris University and Mount St. Mary’s, are tied for fifth with only one point behind the Pioneers.

Sacred Heart must win both games this weekend to secure their spot in the playoffs. On Friday, they take on Monmouth University at home on Campus Field at 7:00 p.m. Monmouth is currently ranked second in the conference. Sunday, which is senior day, the Pioneers take on Mount St. Mary’s at 12:00 p.m.

“We have been training really hard all season, and we have confidence that this is going to be our year,” said senior defender Lauren Tamberino. “We just have to get through the weekend.”

Come out and support Sacred Heart on their journey to the Northeast Conference playoffs!