Sept. 10, 2010

ECU vs. N.C. State Match Guide

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina women's soccer team returns to the pitch Friday night when they play host to in-state rival N.C. State at the North Campus Recreation Complex with a 7 p.m. start scheduled.

The Pirates (3-2) enter the game having won two-straight (ODU and Niagara) and look to continue its recent success against the Wolfpack, where they own a 2-1-1 overall record in the series. Sophomore Chrissy Gratz and Junior Amanda Malkiewicz lead the team with two goals each, while six others have netted markers on the season. Gratz leads the team and is tied for third in Conference USA with two game-winning goals. Redshirt freshman Christiane Cordero has made five starts in goal and owns a 3-2-0 record, where she has allowed eight goals and logged 15 saves in 440 minutes.

N.C. State will hit the road for the first time this year and head into the match with a 4-2 record after picking up back-to-back shutouts last week against Pittsburgh and Loyola of Maryland. Nadia Aboulhosn led the way Sunday for the Pack with her first collegiate hat trick in the win over the Greyhounds and stands as the only player in the ACC to score three times in a game so far this fall. Her six total points is also a single-game high in the league. Kim Kern has started all six matches in goal and owns a 0.79 goals-against-average, the ninth best mark in the ACC.

ECU will look for its first win against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent since topping N.C. State on Aug. 26, 2000 in Raleigh (1-0).

Friday's game has been designated as "Youth Day" where there will be free pizza for all youth and an autograph session with the team will follow immediately after the game.

Inside the Series: ECU leads, 2-1-1
Sept. 27, 1997 - L, 3-0 (Away)
Oct. 29, 1999 - W, 1-0/OT (Home)
Aug. 26, 2000 - W, 1-0 (Away)
Sept. 11, 2009 - T, 2-2 (Away)

ECU vs. ACC: (2-14-3)
vs. Clemson: 0-1-0
vs. Florida State: 0-1-0
vs. Maryland: 0-1-0
vs. Miami (Fla.): 0-0-1
vs. N.C. State: 2-1-1
vs. Virginia: 0-1-0
vs. Virginia Tech: 0-2-1
vs. Wake Forest: 0-7-0

Friday Night Lights At Home:
Since construction of the new soccer stadium will not be completed until after the season, ECU is playing its home matches at the North Campus Recreation Complex on U.S. Highway 264 ... Tonight's match will be the second ever at home under the lights, which will also be the second against an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) member ... Last was Aug. 27, 2010 vs. Wake Forest (L, 2-1).

First Career Starts:
Christiane Cordero (GK) and Kimmy Cummings (F) recorded their first career starts in the season opener against UNC Greensboro ... Cordero allowed two goals in 90-minutes of action in the box, while Cummings logged 53 minutes at the forward position.

Collegiate Debuts:
Through five games on the young season, six Pirates have made their collegiate debuts ... Cordero experienced action in the season opener posting her first collegiate start, while Brittany Batts (MF/1 G), Ashley James (F/3 G's), Katlin Povich (F/MF/1 G), Amanda Reynolds (D/MF/ 5 G's) and Anne Workman (MF/D/ 1 G) got on the field against Francis Marion in the home opener.

Streaks Extended:
Six Pirates extended their current starting streaks through the opening weekend ... Junior's Amanda Malkiewicz and Jessica Woodward pushed their consecutive starting streaks to 46 games, while Preseason All-Conference USA selection Bailey Wilcox extended hers to 24-straight matches dating back to the start of the 2009 campaign ... Two other players currently have streaks in double-digits heading into Friday's contest with N.C. State (Amanda Broz/ 13 and Candace Mowery/13) ... Stephanie Shaw's streak was snapped at 12 games vs. WFU.

Spreading The Love:
Eight different players have netted goals on the season with Chrissy Gratz and Amana Malkiewicz leading the way with two each ... The Pirates have seven assists on the year all coming from different players as well.

Gratz Has Two Game-Winning Goals:
Sophomore Chrissy Gratz has a pair of game-winning goals (Francis Marion and ODU) on the season, which is currently tied for third in Conference USA.