Women’s Soccer Travels to Providence, Hosts Holy Cross in Week Three

Thursday, September 6

Providence, RI

7:00 PM

Brown University

Providence

Women’s Soccer Travels to Providence, Hosts Holy Cross in Week Three

9/5/2018 1:25:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Watch vs. PC Watch vs. Holy Cross (ESPN+)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University women's soccer travels to meet crosstown rival Providence College on the road on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 7:00 p.m. prior to hosting Holy Cross on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+) in its third week of the regular season.

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At Providence: Live Video | Live Stats
Vs. Holy Cross: Live Video (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Tickets
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THE IVY LEAGUE ON ESPN
Video of all home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe and view games by purchasing a monthly package for $4.99 or a yearly package for $49.99.

LAST WEEKEND
The Bears opened their 2018 home slate at Stevenson-Pincince Field with a 1-0 victory over Sacred Heart (Aug. 31). Junior Abby Carchio (Lakeville, Mass.) netted the game-winning goal, finding the back of the net in the 45^th minute, and senior goalkeeper Christine Etzel (Madison, Conn.) posted her 20^th career shutout. Brown fell to Villanova (Sept. 2) in overtime at home on Sunday, 1-0.

ETZEL IN GOAL
Senior goalkeeper Christine Etzel (Madison, Conn.) is now in her fourth season as Brown's starting goalkeeper. She ranks second in the Ivy League in total saves (23) and saves per game (5.75). She totaled 18 saves over Brown's opening weekend, stopping eight shots at Pepperdine (Aug. 24) and 10 shots at UC Santa Barbara (Aug. 26) – her second career game with double-figure saves. She ranks third on Brown's career shutouts list with 20 shutouts, fourth on Brown's career wins list with 28 wins, and ninth on Brown's career saves list with 232 saves. Etzel won the 2016 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year award and is a three-time All-Ivy selection.

DEFENSIVE TOUGHNESS
Through the season's first four games, the Brown defense has allowed just three goals. As a team, the Bears rank first in the Ivy League and 25^th in the NCAA in save percentage (.889) and stand second in the Ancient Eight in goals allowed (three). Senior goalkeeper Christine Etzel (Madison, Conn.) along with sophomore center back Sydney Cummings (Millstone Township, N.J.), senior left back Nicole Phillips (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.), and freshman right back Lauren Hinton (Middletown, Conn.) have anchored the Bears' defense.

YOUTH IN LINEUP
Brown features a youthful roster with freshmen and sophomores accounting for 18 of the Bears' 27 student-athletes. Eight freshmen have already made starts for the Bears this season. Against Villanova (Sept. 2), Brown played 15 field players with seven freshmen and four sophomores included in that group.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Since renaming its home pitch Stevenson-Pincince Field prior to the final home game of the 2015 season, Brown has posted a 12-4-3 record at home. The Bears went 6-2-0 at home last season and posted a 4-1-3 mark at home during the 2016 campaign. Thus far in 2018, Brown is 1-1-0 at home.

LAST FALL
In 2017, Brown registered an 11-5-0 overall record, giving the Bears their most wins since going 13-4-0 in 2000. Brown also set a single-season program record with four overtime victories. The Bears tallied six All-Ivy selections, including First Team All-Ivy honoree Abby Carchio '20 (Lakeville, Mass.).

RETURNING ALL-IVY
Alongside senior goalkeeper Christine Etzel (Madison, Conn.), the Bears bring back four more student-athletes who earned All-Ivy honors last fall, including senior forward/midfielder Celia Story (Bainbridge Island, Wash.), junior midfielder Abby Carchio (Lakeville, Mass.), sophomore back Sydney Cummings (Millstone Township, N.J.), and sophomore forward Star White (Norfolk, Va.).

Story has earned All-Ivy honors in back-to-back years and last season ranked ninth in the Ivy League in points (15) and fifth in assists (five). Carchio earned First Team All-Ivy and Second Team NEWISA All-New England in 2017. Cummings and White both garnered Second Team All-Ivy a year ago with Cummings playing all 1,475 minutes on the season and White ranking second in the Ancient Eight in assists (six) and eighth in points (16).

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Sophomore back Sydney Cummings (Millstone Township, N.J.) and sophomore goalkeeper Maria Guerrero (San Juan, Puerto Rico) competed in World Cup qualifiers in May 2018, taking part in the Caribbean Zone's regional qualification tournament.

Representing Guyana, Cummings earned her first three career international caps and scored her first career international goal in a 6-1 win over Suriname. Representing Puerto Rico, Guerrero garnered her first three career caps at the senior level. She previously served as a reserve goalkeeper for the senior team and competed for Puerto Rico at the U20 and U17 levels. Both Guyana and Puerto finished second in their respective groups, falling one spot shy of advancing to the qualification tournament's final round.

SCOUTING THE FRIARS
Providence College enters Thursday's tilt with a 3-2-0 overall record. The Friars won their first three games against Holy Cross (2-0), Fairleigh Dickinson (1-0), and Hartford (2-0) before dropping decisions to North Carolina (1-0) and Duke (2-1). Casey Estey and Hannah McNulty lead the Friars with four points apiece. Shelby Hogan has played every minute in goal, posting a 0.60 GAA.

SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
Holy Cross brings a 2-3-0 mark into the week and will meet Bryant on Thursday prior to facing the Bears. The Crusaders have notched victories over Fordham (1-0) and Saint Peter's (5-1) while falling to Providence (2-0), New Hampshire (2-1), and Hartford (2-1). Ang Seslija leads the team with five points on a goal and three assists. In goal, Sophia Lettieri has played every minute, registering a 1.37 GAA.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Brown and Providence College have met 29 times all-time with the Bears holding a 20-9-0 lead in the all-time series. The Friars have won the last five fixtures in the rivalry with the Bears last earning a win in 2011 via a 2-0 decision.

In 21 meetings, the Bears hold a 14-3-4 lead in the all-time series with Holy Cross. The two teams last met on Oct. 11, 2016 with Brown taking a 3-2 victory.

THE LAST THREE SEASONS
The Bears have finished in the top half of the Ivy League standings for three straight years for the first time since 1992-94. In 2015, Brown went 7-7-2 overall (3-3-1 Ivy) to place third, in 2016 the team finished 9-2-5 overall (4-1-2 Ivy) for second place, and in 2017 the Bears went 11-5-0 (4-3-0) for fourth place.

THE CAPTAINS
Senior goalkeeper Christine Etzel (Madison, Conn.) and senior forward/midfielder Celia Story (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) will serve Brown as captains for the 2018 season. Etzel returns for her second season as a captain for the Bears.

YEAR THREE
Head coach Kia McNeill enters her third season as the head women's soccer coach at Brown University in 2018-19, leading the Bears to their highest finish in the league standings since 1994 in her inaugural season in 2016 and guiding the Bears to their most wins since 2000 in her second season in 2017. She returns her top two assistants from the last two seasons in Matt Mones and Raleigh DeRose, while adding Andre Reis as the team's volunteer goalkeeper coach.

COMING SOON
After hosting Holy Cross on Sunday, Brown continues a four-game home stand as it entertains Vermont (Sept. 13, 7:00 p.m.), Rhode Island (Sept. 16, 1:00 p.m.), and UMass Lowell (Sept. 18, 7:00 p.m.). ESPN+ will carry all three games.

TICKETS!
Tickets for all Brown women's soccer games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.