DANBURY, Conn. - The WestConn women's soccer team finished the regular season in familiar territory… atop the Little East Conference and remains among the elite programs in the nation.
Despite last Saturday's 3-2 loss to Keene State College at the Westside Athletic Complex, the Colonials, 15-2-1 overall, were crowned Little East Conference regular-season champions with a 6-1 mark.

For the second time in program history, WestConn will host the LEC Semifinals at The WAC on Thursday, November 1 at 6 p.m. If it wins, it will host the LEC Championship game on Saturday, November 3, also at 6 p.m.

The Colonials will face the winner of Tuesday's first round game between #5 Plymouth State University and #4 Rhode Island College. Second ranked Eastern Connecticut State University, which also receives a first-round bye, will face the winner of the #6 University of Southern Maine and #3 Keene State College match in Willimantic, Conn. on Thursday at 3 p.m.

The winner of the LEC Tournament earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
WestConn won the LEC regular season and Tournament a year ago and advanced to its sixth NCAA Tournament. It also made NCAA appearances in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005.
In 2001, 2005 and last fall, the Colonials advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Back in 1997, WestConn won its first of five LEC Championships and also appeared in its first of six NCAA Division III Tournaments.

The Colonials are currently ranked 16th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division III Women's Soccer national poll. A new poll will be released on Tuesday, October 30. Besides the season-ending loss to Keene State College last Saturday, the only blemishes on the WestConn's slate came back on September 18, a 4-0 loss to #6 Williams College and a 0-0 double-overtime tie with #7 Wheaton College (Mass.) back on September 8.

The 2007 version of WestConn Women's Soccer has enjoyed a fine mix of one of the stingiest defenses in the country and a potent offense. The Colonials have allowed just nine goals in 18 games and have scored 55.

Defensively, senior goal keeper Jenna Cappellieri (Stratford, Conn.) has registered a league-high nine shut outs and a 0.48 goals-against average while the team has blanked its opponents 14 times. The Colonials had a string of over 1,033 scoreless minutes snapped when the Owls netted the first of three goals on Saturday in the seventh minute of play.

The Colonials' defense stretches far outside the 18-yard box patrolled by the net minders. Seniors Caitlin Boyle (Southbury, Conn.), Lindy Winchell (Bethel, Conn.), junior Heather Garrity (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and sophomore Central Connecticut State University transfer Amanda Genova (New Milford, Conn.) have been virtually insoluble. Many of the team's 14 shut outs result from the ball never reaching the keepers. On 11 occasions, the WestConn defense has allowed eight or fewer shots at goal and recorded shut outs in each victory.

Junior Catherine Nathans (New Fairfield, Conn.) leads the team and the Little East Conference with 13 goals and 33 total points (two points are awarded for a goal and one point for an assist - she has seven assists). Kim Crayco (Bolton, Conn.) follows with 11 goals and 23 points. She is second in the LEC with 11 markers. Cassie Barbaresi (Bridgeport, Conn.), a transfer from the Naval Academy, has five goals, a team-high 10 assists for 20 points.