#CUWStatsInfo: Women's Soccer set for NACC Finals date with Aurora

MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Soccer team is all set for a Saturday afternoon showdown with top-seeded Aurora University for the NACC Women's Soccer Final. The Falcons and Spartans are set to meet at Vago Field Saturday at 1 p.m. with a trip to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament on the line.

The Falcons and Spartans met earlier this season with AU securing a 2-1 win at Fitting Field. CUW finished with a 14-13 edge in shots but couldn't get on the scoreboard until the 89th minute with senior Anna Hirssig (Rochester, Minn.) scored on a free kick.

#CUWStatsInfo takes a look at some of the numbers and information you need to know before the Falcons and Spartans decide who will receive the NACC's automatic bid to the 2014 dance.

Returning to the final

CUW is back in the NACC Final for the first time since the 2006 season, which was also the first year of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The Falcons fell to Aurora in that matchup by a 4-1 score.

Aurora meanwhile has been a fixture in the NACC Final. The Spartans have played in each of the previous eight NACC Championship tilts, winning seven of those. AU has been the No. 1 seed eight times, as this year marks the eighth time it has hosted the NACC Final. The only time the NACC Final wasn't played at Aurora was last season, when the Spartans went on the road to defeat top-seeded Edgewood College.

Back to the Dance

CUW reached the NCAA Tournament during the 2004 season, the second year in the Ryan Middendorf era. The Falcons have had some strong teams since that season, but none have been able to capture a conference tournament title and find their way into the NCAA Tournament field. In 2004 CUW was defeated by UW-Stevens Point in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

CUW-Aurora history in the NACC

Since both joined the NACC in the 2006 season the Falcons and Spartans have met four times during the NACC Tournament. Aurora has won each of those meetings, all road contests for the Falcons.

CUW-Aurora NACC Tournament Matchups

2006: @No. 1 AU 4, No. 3 CUW 1, 11/3/06 (Final)
2007: @No. 1 AU 2, No. 5 CUW 1, 11/1/07 (Semifinal)
2008: @No.1 AU 5, No 4 CUW 1, 11/5/08 (Semifinal)
2010: @No. 1 AU 4, CUW 0, 11/3/10 (Semifinal)

Regionally Ranked

The Falcons and Spartans both enter Saturday's contest ranked in the latest NSCAA/Continental Tire Central Region Top 10. CUW comes in at No. 9 for the second straight week, while Aurora is the fourth ranked team in the region.

Leading Scorers

Two of the top goal scorers in the NACC will be on the pitch Saturday in the Spartans Nicci Bermudes and the Falcons Brittany Klumpp (Rubicon, Wis.). Bermudes leads the conference with 75 points and 31 goals. Klumpp, who became the third Falcon in the NACC era to reach 100 career points last week against Wisconsin Lutheran, is second in the league with 18 goals and third with 40 points.

Quest for 100

When Klumpp became the third Falcon in the NACC era to net 100 career points we knew it wouldn't be long before the fourth player reached the milestone. Carley Pfannerstill (Grafton, Wis.) enters Saturday with 99 points. This season Pfannerstill has scored 15 goals and added seven assists as a top offensive threat for the Falcons.

The Back Line

While top offensive players like Klumpp, Pfannerstill and Bermudes are players to watch, both Aurora and CUW play strong defensively as well. The Falcons starting backline of Ashley Apazeller (Jackson, Wis.), Faith Palmreuter (Frankenmuth, Wis.), Abigail Freeland (Grafton, Wis.) and Krista Oelhafen (Allenton, Wis.) has been solid all year. The Falcons trail only Aurora in allowing just 18 goals this season, as the backline has made life relatively easy for goalkeepers Ariana Worthing (Saginaw, Mich.) and Tabitha Ortiz (Plainfield, Ill.).

Goalkeepers

Top offenses, top defenses, and now top goalkeepers in the NACC will all be on display Saturday. Aurora's Rachel Warnock leads the conference with a 0.64 GAA, while Ortiz and Worthing rank second and third at 0.89 and 1.00. While we don't know who for sure will be in net for the Falcons, all signs point to Worthing who got the nod against Edgewood Tuesday and delivered a shutout.

Number 15

A win would not only give the Falcons the coveted trip to the NCAA Tournament, but would also be the 15th of the season. CUW would tie the 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2012 teams with the 15 victories for most in program history.