Women's Soccer | 11/5/2018 7:41:00 PM

INTERVIEWS WITH MATT HANEY AND ALLIE BARBER

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University women's soccer team claimed the top seed in the Atlantic Region and will host first- and second-round matches of the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament at Steph Pettit Stadium this weekend. The Huskies are coming off of the program's first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship since 2002 with their thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over East Stroudsburg University on Sunday afternoon.

The trip to the NCAA tournament is the program's first since the 2010 campaign.

The Huskies will receive a bye in the first round and will not play until Sunday, November 11, at 2:00 p.m. when they will meet the winner of a first-round matchup between fourth-seeded Millersville University and fifth-seeded East Stroudsburg University. The Marauders-Warriors contest will be played at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, November 9, also at Steph Pettit Stadium. In the other side of the region, second-seeded West Chester will receive the other bye and will serve as the host. The Golden Rams will play the winner of the other first-round matchup between third-seeded Kutztown University and sixth-seeded West Virginia Wesleyan College also to be played on Friday afternoon.

The top remaining seed from the Atlantic Region after this weekend's matches will host the Atlantic Regional final and the East Regional final on Friday, November 16, with the two winners meeting on Sunday, November 18, for an opportunity to advance to the NCAA Final Four which will be held at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh beginning on Thursday, November 29. The national championship game will take place on Sunday, December 1.

Bloomsburg (15-2-3), ranked seventh in the country according to the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II poll, enters the tournament on a 14-match unbeaten streak (11-0-3) which is the program's longest since going 16-0-4 during a 20-game stretch in the 1998 season which resulted in the second PSAC Championship in the school's history. This season's conference title marks the fourth in program history tying it with West Chester University for second-most in PSAC annals. The Warriors, who had their four-year string of PSAC titles come to an end on Sunday, still have the most championships in conference history with five.

"I'm absolutely thrilled for our program," said head coach Matt Haney after the announcement was made during the NCAA selection show on Monday evening. "These women have worked very hard throughout the year and battled through a lot of adversity but have kept coming out on top because they've bought into a team-first concept. It's an ultimate payout for them for all of the hard work they have put in leading up to this point."

Sunday's championship win was certainly nothing short of dramatic as the game was scoreless for the first 82 minutes and change before the Warriors dented the scoreboard to take a 1-0 lead. The tally came with 7:53 left in regulation and, with the way that scoring chances were limited all afternoon, certainly put a hush over the large crowd at Steph Pettit Stadium. But, just over a minute later, the Huskies were awarded the match's second corner kick of the contest and it resulted in the game-tying goal from junior Jessica Milligan (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) who, amidst all the traffic in front, was able to get her right foot on the ball and over the head of the Warriors' goalkeeper for her second goal of the season to tie the contest at 1-1 with 6:25 left in regulation. Sophomore Lauren Hoelke (Blackwood, N.J./Highland Regional), who took the corner kick, was awarded the assist. Then, with 2:32 left in the first overtime, senior Erin Bielski (York, Pa./Century (Md.)) just got a piece of a ball into the box from Hoelke that sent the Huskies to their first conference title in 16 years. It was Bielski's first goal of the season and was her first goal since October 21, 2017 when she scored in a 4-1 win over Pitt-Johnstown. Hoelke, who assisted on both goals on Sunday, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player as she finished the postseason run with three helpers. She now has 11 assists on the season which is tied for fifth-most in school history but just one shy of tying the school record currently held by four different players.

"We're very excited and we've worked really hard for this," said senior captain Allie Barber (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area). "The past couple of years, we've been knocking on the door just to get past the first round of the conference playoffs and this year we won the title and now get to host another match in front of our home crowd. I couldn't think of a better group of teammates to be able to do this with."

"It's been a special kind of year," added Haney. "I don't know how many times we'll be able to experience something like this, but we will certainly enjoy it while it's going on."

More details on the first- and second-round matches at Steph Pettit Stadium to come following the regional conference call on Tuesday afternoon.

Stay up to date with the Huskies all season long by following us on our official social media accounts: Twitter (@GoBUHuskies), Facebook (BUHuskies), and Instagram (BUHuskies).