PSAC WOMEN'S SOCCER PREVIEW
 
PSAC SEMIFINALS
3E KUTZTOWN GOLDEN BEARS (10-3-6, 7-3-6 PSAC East) at 1W GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (14-0-4, 10-0-4 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Friday, November 15, 2024 | 3 p.m.
STADIUM/LOCATION: McConnell Family Stadium l Erie, Pa.
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
PSAC TOURNAMENT PAGE
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
 
ADMISSION
(CARD ONLY - HUDL Ticketing)
Adults $10
Non-PSAC Students with ID  $5
Students with ID of PSAC Institution  Free
Children under the age of 2 shall be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.
 
 
THE PSAC WOMEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
QUARTERFINALS
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
No. 1E Shepherd 2, No. 4E Bloomsburg 1
No. 3W Slippery Rock 2, No. 2W IUP 1, OT
No. 3E Kutztown 1, No. 2E West Chester 0
No. 1W Gannon 3, No. 4W Pitt-Johnstown 0`
SEMIFINALS
Friday, November 15, 2024 (hosted by Gannon)
3E Kutztown at 1W Gannon, 3 p.m.
3W Slippery Rock vs. 1E Shepherd, 6 p.m.
FINALS
Sunday, November 17, 2024 (hosted by Gannon)
Championship game, 1 p.m.
 

THE GANNON-KUTZTOWN SERIES
Kutztown leads all-time series 12-3-0
Last meeting: Gannon defeated Kutztown 2-0 on the Golden Bears' home field in the PSAC semifinals on Nov. 10, 2023. Gannon was the No. 2 West seed while Kutztown was the No. 1 East seed. Grace Emanuel (Erie, Pa./McDowell) scored the game-winning goal off an assist by Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane).
 

ERIE, Pa. – Gannon has inched closer to its first PSAC Tournament title each of the past two seasons as the Golden Knights advanced to the championship game each year. However, each time the Knights ran into a talented West Chester team that thwarted Gannon's title hopes.
 
Last year, Gannon was tied with West Chester 1-1 before the Golden Rams scored a goal at the 81:58 mark to claim a 2-1 win in the championship game.
 
The good news for Gannon is that West Chester is no longer in the 2024 tournament. The bad news is that the Golden Knights will have to face a tough Kutztown team that eliminated West Chester with a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over the Rams. Gannon will host Kutztown on Friday at 3 p.m. in the first semifinal at McConnell Family Stadium.
 
Kutztown is the No. 3 seed from the highly competitive Eastern Division where the Golden Bears finished with a 7-3-6 record. Kutztown enters at 10-3-6 overall.
 
Gannon has relied on a talented young lineup that includes sophomores Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane) and Grace Emanuel (Erie, Pa./McDowell), who are tied for second place in the PSAC with 12 goals apiece. Respecki leads the PSAC with 32 points, and Emanuel is second with 30.
 
Gannon had eight PSAC All-Stars on Thursday, including eight first-team honorees. Destinee Robertson (Lacey, Washington/Timberline) was named PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year, and Jessie Watkins (Bowie, Md./Bowie) was selected as the Freshman of the Year.
 
If Gannon were to beat a tough Kutztown team on Friday and advance to Sunday's 1 p.m. game, it would be guaranteed to face a talented opponent in either Eastern Division No. 1 seed Shepherd or Western Division No. 3 seed Slippery Rock.
 

Scouting the Final Four:

1W Gannon Golden Knights (14-0-4, 10-0-4 PSAC West)
Head Coach: Colin Petersen (219-162-43, 23rd season)
Leading Scorers: Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane) (12 goals-8 assists-32 points), Grace Emanuel (Erie, Pa./McDowell) (12-6-30), Jessie Watkins (Bowie, Md./Bowie) (7-1-15), Gabby Boden (Butler, Pa./Butler) (2-8-12)
Goalkeeper:  Morgan Sinan (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) (14-0-4)
All-PSAC Players:  Destinee Robertson (Lacey, Washington/Timberline) (PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year, First Team), Jessie Watkins (Bowie, Md./Bowie) (Freshman of the Year, First Team), Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane) (First Team), Grace Emanuel (Erie, Pa./McDowell) (First Team), Gabby Boden (Butler, Pa./Butler) (First Team), Hannah Shepard (Erie, Pa./McDowell) (First Team), Morgan Sinan (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) (First Team), and Jamie Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) (Second Team).
Fast Facts: Gannon is making its fourth straight appearance in the PSAC semifinals. The Golden Knights hope to make their third consecutive appearance in the championship game.
 
3E Kutztown Golden Bears (10-3-6, 7-3-6 PSAC East)
Head Coach: Erik Burstein (231-85-33, 17th season)
Leading Scorers: Isabella Rossetti (8-0-16), Corinne Morgan (7-1-15), Caroline McDonald (2-5-9); Katelyn Economopoulos (3-3-9) 
Goalkeeper: Cassidy Howes (9-3-5, 0.79 GAA, .745 save pct., 8 SHO)
All-PSAC Players: Bridget Curtis (First Team), Caroline McDonald (First Team), Taylor Rapel (First Team), Dana Wentz (Second Team); Kate Economopoulos (Second Team); Isabella Rossetti (Second Team).
 
3W Slippery Rock The Rock (9-5-4, 8-3-3 PSAC West) )
Head Coach: Jessica Giegucz (104-47-24, 10th season)
Leading Scorers: Sydney Patrick (4-10-18), Sophia Palermo (5-3-13), Bailey McGee (4-4-12), Morgan Saver (6-0-12)
Goalkeeper:  Lean Allman (9-5-4, 0.88 GAA, .814 save pct., 8 SHO)
All-PSAC Players:  Libby Zacharyasz (First Team), Faith Diffenbacher (Second Team), Nina King (Second Team), Sydney Patrick (Second Team).
 
1E Shepherd Rams (14-1-4, 13-1-2 PSAC East)
Head Coach: Sam Odell (32-24-16, 4th season)
Leading Scorers: Lydia Gable (11-7-29), Reagan Ackermann (5-7-17), Annabelle Wunderlich (5-5-15), Sarah Peternel (6-2-14).
Goalkeeper: Hannah Wilt (14-1-4, 0.48 GAA, save pct. 0.857, 10 SHO)
All-PSAC Players: Sam Odell (PSAC East Coach of the Year), Delaney Bittner (PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year, First Team), Hannah Wilt (PSAC East Freshman of the Year, Second Team), Lydia Gable (First Team), Annabelle Wunderlich (First Team), Madison Herb (Second Team), Reagan Ackermann (Second Team), Sarah Peternel (Second Team), Hannah Wilt (Second Team).


Gannon in the PSAC Tournament
2008
Quarterfinals – vs. Indiana (Pa.) – L, 0-1
2009
Quarterfinals – at California (Pa.) – L, 0-2
2011
Quarterfinals – vs. Kutztown – L, 1-2
2012
Quarterfinals – vs. East Stroudsburg – T, 0-0 ot (ESU advances on penalty kicks 5-4)
2013
Quarterfinals – at Slippery Rock – W, 1-0
Semifinals – vs. West Chester – L, 0-3
2014
Quarterfinals – at West Chester – L, 0-3
2015
Quarterfinals – vs. Bloomsburg – W, 3-1
Semifinals – vs. Edinboro – L, 1-3
2016
Quarterfinals – at Edinboro – W, 1-0 OT
Semifinals – vs. Kutztown – L, 0-2
2017
Quarterfinals – vs. Indiana (Pa.) – W, 3-1
Semifinals – at West Chester – L, 1-2
2021
Quarterfinals – vs. Slippery Rock – W, 5-3
Semifinals – vs. Millersville – L, 0-1
2022
Quarterfinals – vs. Seton Hill – W, 2-0
Semifinals – vs. Bloomsburg – W, 3-1
Finals – vs. West Chester – L, 0-3
2023
Quarterfinals – vs. Slippery Rock – W, 4-2
Semifinals – at Kutztown – W, 2-0
Finals – vs. West Chester – L, 1-2
2024
Quarterfinals – vs. Pitt-Johnstown – W, 3-0


Gannon Head Coach: Former Gannon soccer great Colin Petersen is in his 25th season with the Gannon soccer program and 23rd as the head coach of the women's soccer program in 2024. Petersen, who has also spent time in a dual position as an assistant for the men's program, was hired as the seventh head coach in the history of the women's program on February 13, 2002. Petersen is the winningest and longest-tenured coach in the 36-year history of the Gannon women's soccer program. He was inducted into the Gannon Athletics Hall of Fame as a player in 2017. Petersen holds more than 100 wins more than any other coach and owns an overall record of 219-162-43. Gannon has produced a .500 record or better during 15 of the last 16 seasons under Petersen and now has 11 10-win seasons. The Golden Knights have qualified for the PSAC Tournament 12 times in Petersen's tenure, with seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
 

Region rankings: Three of the top four teams in the Atlantic Region will compete in Friday's semifinals Gannon is ranked No. 1, followed by Shepherd at No. 2 and Kutztown at No. 4. The NCAA uses the region rankings, which were released on Wednesday afternoon, to pick their NCAA Tournament field. Slippery Rock is the only team in the PSAC Final Four that is not in the region rankings. As a result, The Rock will be aiming for the PSAC title and the automatic NCAA berth that comes with it.

Atlantic Region rankings
1. Gannon
2. Shepherd
3. Indiana (Pa.)
4. Kutztown
5. Frostburg State
6. Charleston (W.Va.)
7. East Stroudsburg
8. West Virginia State
9. Bloomsburg