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BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's soccer team concludes the home portion of its regular-season schedule this weekend with a pair of critical Northeast Conference matches. The Blackbirds (4-11-1, 2-2-1 NEC), who stand in a three-way tie for fourth place in the NEC standings, will host second-place Wagner (7-6-2, 3-1-1 NEC) on Friday, Oct. 24 at 6:00 p.m. Two days later, Central Connecticut (7-5-3, 2-2-1 NEC) comes to town for a 12:00 p.m. contest. The weekend will feature many LIU Brooklyn alums returning to campus for Alumni Weekend, and Sunday is Senior Day when seven Blackbirds will be honored: Taylor Berardicurti, Sydney Ciufo, Alex Farley, Caroline Kaplan, Allison King, Shannon O'Connor and Jen Spicer.
ABOUT THE BLACKBIRDS
LIU Brooklyn is coming off a 0-1-1 weekend after visiting western Pennsylvania for two matches. The Blackbirds dropped a 1-0 decision to Robert Morris before earning a 1-1 draw against defending NEC champion Saint Francis U. on Sunday. Spicer was the main cog in LIU's attack against the Red Flash, hitting the post late in the game with the Blackbirds trailing before finally converting on an attempt with just 46 seconds remaining to send the match to extra time.
The Blackbirds are led offensively by sophomore Madison Gomez, who ranks first in goals (4) and points (9) in games against NEC competition. Spicer and junior Lucy Gunton-Jones are tied for second in points with six points apiece, with Spicer's three goals putting her in a tie for second. Gunton-Jones has six assists in LIU's five NEC matches to lead the conference, and has eight assists on the season to also pace the league.
SCOUTING WAGNER
The Seahawks enter the contest on Friday with a four-match unbeaten streak and have not allowed a goal since a 1-0 loss to Saint Francis U. on Oct. 3. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Katie Marcy has been a stalwart in net, maintaining a miniscule 0.76 goals-against average and an .867 save percentage to rank in the top 50 nationally in both categories. Offensively, junior Johanna Konrad leads the charge with five goals and an assist.
ALL-TIME vs. THE SEAHAWKS
LIU Brooklyn holds an impressive 14-3-0 record against Wagner all-time, but recently had a 11-match winning streak snapped last season in a 1-0 loss in Staten Island. Sydney McCarthy scored the lone goal of the match in the 84th minute for the Seahawks, while current sophomore Jenn Peters had three shots for LIU.
SCOUTING CENTRAL CONNECTICUT
The Blue Devils had a three-match winning streak snapped by Wagner in their most recent outing, falling 1-0. Konrad found the back of the net for the Seahawks in the 74th minute, upending CCSU despite the Blue Devils holding a 17-5 edge in shots. Tori Sousa paces the team with five goals, four assists and 14 points, while Kelly Halligan also has four assists. Central Connecticut has allowed just three goals in five NEC matches this season.
ALL-TIME vs. THE BLUE DEVILS
CCSU holds a 12-9-1 edge in the all-time series, however LIU Brooklyn has won the last five meetings between the two schools by 1-0 margins. An own goal on the Blue Devils accounted for the only score of last season's match.