COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College women's soccer team hosts Bentley University on Sunday for a Northeast 10 Conference Championship first-round game, its first home postseason contest since 1989. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students under 18, and free for students from NE10 institutions with a valid ID. A free barbecue for Saint Michael's students will also be provided thanks to the men's basketball program.
 
The third-seeded Purple Knights (15-2-1, 6-2-1 NE10) and sixth-seeded Bentley (6-6-4, 3-4-2 NE10) also met in the opening round of the 2024 NE10 Championship, with the Falcons taking a 1-0 decision in Waltham, Mass. Saint Michael's was third in the first NCAA East Region rankings, which help determine the NCAA Tournament field, and received votes toward this week's United Soccer Coaches national poll. As part of a season in which the Purple Knights have shattered school records for wins, shutouts (12) and assists (56), they played the Falcons to a scoreless tie during their home opener on Duffy Field on Sept. 20.
 
In Sunday's other first-round games, No. 2 Franklin Pierce University hosts No. 7 Pace University at 1 p.m. before No. 4 Adelphi University takes on No. 5 Southern New Hampshire University at 4 p.m. Semifinals take place on Nov. 13, with the Saint Michael's/Bentley winner squaring off with the Franklin Pierce/Pace winner. The victor of the Adelphi/Southern New Hampshire contest visits No. 1 Saint Anselm College at 1 p.m. The championship game is slated for Nov. 16 at the home of the highest-remaining seed.
 
Sophomore Scarlett Brookes (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Knolls) keys the offense - which has seen 16 different players score goals - by tying for the NE10 lead in goals (11) while netting 27 points to stand one shy of the league lead. Classmate Sarah Gormley (East Moriches, N.Y./Westhampton Beach) has four goals and five assists, and senior Bella DelVecchio (Saugus, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) and sophomore Jules Peterson (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) own 11 and 10 points, respectively, thanks to seven and six assists. Seven other players have between nine and seven points. Senior Faith Kosiba (Dunstable, Mass./Groton-Dunstable Regional) lends seven helpers, first-year Regan Kelso (Fairless Hills, Pa./Archbishop Wood) matches Gormley for second on the team with four goals, and junior Bridget Hanley (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) patrols central midfield.
 
First-year Chloe Laizer (West Springfield, Mass./West Springfield) leads the NE10 in wins (15), shutouts (8) and goals-against average (0.70) after being thrust into a starting role as a rookie, shattering a program mark for victories while tying the standard for clean sheets. Junior Bridget McLoughlin (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) and sophomores Josie Rayhill (Kirkland, Wash./Lake Washington) and Julia Palmese (Berlin, Conn./Berlin) form a strong starting back line, and fifth-year senior Katie Hansen (Spring Lake, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) lends a key veteran presence to the defensive corps.
 
Now in her 13th season at Saint Michael's, Wendy Elles is the second-longest-tenured head coach in program history. She has turned the program into a contender while constructing a deep roster through geographically-diverse recruiting. After resetting the program during her first six years, when the Purple Knights won a total of 14 games, they are 50-33-20 since 2019, including 26-6-5 the last two years.