GENESEO, N.Y. - SUNY Geneseo (12-4-3) takes on Trinity (CT) (7-4-6) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after defeating SUNY Cortland on penalty kicks in the final round of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) playoffs. The Knights won their tenth SUNYAC Championship and will play in the program's tenth NCAA tournament. The Bantams enter the first-round matchup after falling in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Semifinals to Wesleyan, 3-0.

CREAM OF THE CROP
Eight Knights were voted to the All-SUNYAC teams this fall, with five earning first-team honors. Senior forward Lindsay Wright was the SUNYAC tournament MVP and claimed a first-team selection after leading the Knights with 10 goals on the season. Graduate midfielders Hannah Sullivan and Mackenzie Griffin earned first-team honors as well, while graduate defender Julia Dell Aquila and senior goalkeeper Angel Bennett rounded out the first-team honors for their efforts defensively this season for Geneseo. Sarah Dunnigan was named Second-Team, while Haylee Evertsen and Liv Raucci nabbed Third-Team honors.

KNIGHTS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Geneseo holds a 4-8-4 record in nine NCAA appearances, while advancing on penalty kicks in three out of four draws. Last year, the Knights defeated Connecticut College in the opening round of the tournament behind a pair of goals from Juliette Frischmann. In 2019, Geneseo suffered a 3-0 defeat to Mary Washington in the first round of the tournament. In 2017, the Knights defeated visiting Penn State Berks, 2-1 (OT), in the first round, and Misericordia, 1-0 (2OT), in the second round before falling to Johns Hopkins, 2-0, in the third round. Geneseo has reached the third round three times, and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals in 1994.

DEFEND THE REALM
Geneseo has only allowed 11 goals in 18 games with a 0.61 goals allowed average, good enough for top-40 in the NCAA. They recorded 11 shutouts and managed to only allow 67 shots on goal during the season. The Knights tallied seven shutouts in eight games from Sep. 17 to Oct. 12, with five being SUNYAC opponents.

KEEPING IT CLEAN
Senior goalkeeper Angel Bennett earned the start in all 18 games this season and recorded nine solo shutouts as well as two combined shutouts with sophomore goalkeeper Mollie Collins. Bennett tallied 53 saves on the year and a save percentage of .828 on 148 shots faced.

WRIGHT PLACE, WRIGHT TIME
Senior forward Lindsay Wright was named SUNYAC Tournament MVP after leading the Knights to the championship with three goals and an assist in the two playoff games. In the semifinal matchup against New Paltz, Wright tallied two goals and an assist. In the championship game, Wright was able to score off a header from a corner kick by Hannah Sullivan to give the Knights their lone goal of the game. She leads the offense this season with 26 points on 10 goals and six assists.

MATCHUP HISTORY
Geneseo and Trinity have never faced off in a women's soccer matchup. This will only mark the third time the Bantams have made it to the NCAA tournament, where they hold a 2-2 record. Trinity most recently competed in the 2016 tournament, where they reached the second round of the time after defeating Worcester Tech in penalty kicks and then falling to William Smith, 3-0.
 
A WIN FOR THE KNIGHTS WOULD...
 
Improve the team's record to 5-8-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament
 
Send the Knights to the NCAA Second Round for the fifth time in program history