Pirates Meet Top-Seeded UConn in AAC First Round
November 02, 2015 | Soccer
| Match 20: (8) East Carolina vs. (1) UConn | |
| Date | Tuesday, November 3 |
| Time | 2:30 p.m. (EST) |
| Location | Dallas, Texas (Westcott Field) |
| Match Notes | East Carolina  | UConn | American Conference |
| Coverage | Live Stats |  Watch Live (FREE) | @ECUScoreboard | @ecuwmnssoccer |
| Tournament Info | Conference Championship Bracket | Championship Preview |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Seeded eighth in the 2015 American Athletic Conference Championship, the East Carolina women's soccer team will face top-seeded and 11th-ranked UConn in first round action on Tuesday, Nov. 3 in Dallas, Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., and the match will be broadcast live on The American Digital Network.
With a victory, East Carolina (8-9-2, 3-5-1 AAC) will advance to Thursday's semifinal round and face the winner between No. 4 Cincinnati and No. 5 Tulsa at 6 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
ECU clinched the No. 8 seed in the 2015 American Athletic Conference Championship with a 3-0 victory over Memphis in the regular-season finale on Oct. 25 in Greenville. Senior striker Kendall Frey registered a career-high five points with two goals and one assist and goalkeeper Saundra Baron made five saves for her league-leading ninth shutout of the season.
ALL-TIME VERSUS UCONN
Thursday's match will be the third overall meeting between the two programs, as the Pirates trail, 2-0, in the all-time series, which includes a 3-0 road loss on Oct. 6 in Storrs, Conn.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
UConn (16-2, 8-1 AAC) won the regular-season conference crown and has outscored its opponents, 33-13, so far on the year. Striker Rachel Hill was named Co-Offensive Player-of-the-Year in The American with 10 goals and three assists, while Stephanie Ribeiro was named the league's Midfielder-of-the-Year with five goals and six assists. Samantha McGuire earned all-conference second team honors and ranks second on the club with seven goals and three assists. Goalkeeper Emily Armstrong also earned the American Conference Goalkeeper-of-the-Year Award with 15 wins and a 0.71 goals against average.
THREE PIRATES EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Senior forward Kendall Frey earned All-American Athletic Conference First Team honors, junior striker Lana Spitler received Second Team recognition and freshman attacker Courtney Cash was tabbed to the league's All-Rookie Team for the 2015 season. Frey is just the third player in program history along with Kim Sandhoff (1997-2000) and Meghan McCallion to earn all-conference recognition in four-straight seasons.
HEROICS & DRAMATICS
East Carolina has won three matches with less than a minute to play or later, including a pair of double overtime victories (Western Carolina & Charlotte) and on a goal with 31 seconds left in regulation (UCF). The Pirates also lost a match on a goal with 27 seconds to go (at SMU) and another on a strike just 33 seconds into overtime (Tulsa).
COUNTING DOWN
East Carolina women's soccer is just two victories shy of 200 in its history. Since the inception of the program in 1994, the Pirates have averaged greater than nine victories per season.
TWO-TIME AAC GOALKEEPER-OF-THE-WEEK
Redshirt senior Saundra Baron was named American Athletic Conference Goalkeeper-of-the-Week for the second time during the 2015 season, earning the first award of the year on Aug. 24 and the final honor of the regular season on Oct. 27.
BARON'S BARREN NET
Redshirt senior goalkeeper has recorded nine shutouts in ECU's first 19 matches this season, the fourth most in a single season in program history. The Greensboro, N.C., native has blanked opponents in 14 in her last 27 starts dating back to 2014.
FIVE FOR FREY
Senior striker Kendall Frey notched a career-high five points on two goals and one assist in ECU's 3-0 victory of Memphis in the regular-season finale. It was her third-career multi-goal game performance and second of the season.
