(2/5/08) Centenary senior forward Tanya DiDonna was named to the NSCAA All-Mid Atlantic Region Third Team and was also selected as Centenary College’s Woman of the Year by the New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.

These awards add to a long list that DiDonna has compiled over her four years as a Lady Cyclone.  In 2007, the Colts Neck Native was named to the PAC Conference First Team as well as earning the conference’s All-Academic honor while also being named as PAC and ECAC Player of the Week. In past years DiDonna was elected to All-Skyline Conference First Team twice in 2004 and 2005 and Second Team in 2006.   

The four year starter and 2007 leading scorer recorded 32 career goals with more than half coming in her senior season.  She also recorded 17 assists in ‘07 which was also good enough to lead the team.  Over her four years she tallied 81 total points for the Lady Cyclones.  DiDonna will be graduating this spring with a major in Business with a focus in Sports Management and Marketing.  

(11/11/07) The Centenary women’s soccer team ended their season today in the finals of the ECAC Metro Region Tournament.  After a tough win yesterday against Rutgers University – Camden, the women could not muster the energy to keep up with the Ducks, losing 5-1 in the finale. 

The Ducks took control early scoring all five goals in the first half.  Hope Fulgencio and Meghan Tennyson netted two goals apiece and Siena York-Carr grabbed the remaining goal for Stevens. 

Centenary’s lone goal came in the 70th minute when senior captain Tanya DiDonna (Colts Neck/Middletown South) sent in a line drive corner kick that deflected off a Stevens defender into the back of the net.  Junior Lauren Loe (Dana Point, CA/Corona del Mar) and freshman Bianca Santulli (Bridgewater/Bridgewater) both recorded shots on goal for the Lady Cyclones.
 
Despite today’s loss, the Lady Cyclones have had a record breaking year, tallying the most team wins in one season with a final record of 14-6-2 breaking the previous season high in 2004 of      12-5-1.  They also made the program debut in both the PAC Conference and ECAC finals.  Boxscore 

          Women Score Twice in Second Half to Seal Victory

(11/10/07)  The Centenary Women’s Soccer team advanced to their first ever ECAC Metro Region Championship game earlier today, with a 2-0 shutout of Rutgers-Camden.  The Lady Cyclones have now won two straight ECAC Tournament games and eight of their last ten, improving to 14-5-2 on the year.  The Scarlet Raptors of Rutgers-Camden, close their 2007 season with an 11-8-4 mark.

In the games opening half each side recorded four shots and one corner kick, with the pair of goalkeepers combining for a total of three saves.  The start of the second period brought more of the same missed opportunities until the 65th minute.  Following a goal kick that found the foot of Centenary’s Bianca Santulli (Bridgewater/Bridgewater), she calmly turned and played a long ball down the left side to the Lady Cyclones leading goal scorer Tanya DiDonna (Colts Neck/Middletown South).  DiDonna netted her 18th goal of the season, giving the hosts the 1-0 advantage.  From there the Centenary defense was put under some added pressure, trying to hold the one-goal lead.  Over the next 15-plus minutes the Scarlet Raptors had attempts at the equalizing goal, but Centenary goalie Ashley Denti (Flemington/Hunterdon Central) was up for the challenge.  Centenary’s Sam Vanni (Haskell/Lakeland) gave the home team some breathing room in the 84th minute when she scored on a long goal kick and assist from their goalie Denti.  Rutgers-Camden registered four shots and three corners in the second half, although none found the back of the net, as Denti made three saves in total for her second straight shutout.  RU-Camden’s goalkeeper Kristen Cargen tallied two saves in the loss.

The Lady Cyclones will now travel to Hoboken, NJ on Sunday afternoon to play the #1 seed, Stevens Institute of Technology.  Game time is scheduled for 1:00 pm.  Boxscore

Note:   Tomorrow's ECAC Championship game can be watched live on a webcast at www.ecac.tv and www.empire8.tv  (Cost is $5.50 per user) or through the Stevens Live-Stats by clicking here.

(11/7/07)  Earlier today the Centenary Women’s Soccer team advanced to the ECAC Metro Region Tournament Semi-Final, with a 5-0 win over visiting College of Staten Island.  The #2 seeded Lady Cyclones improve to 13-5-2 with the victory and will play host to Rutgers-Camden on Saturday, November 10th.  The loss ends the season for Dolphins of CSI with an overall record of 12-9.

Centenary jumped in front early 1-0, when a long thrown in was headed by a Staten Island defender into their own goal.  The Lady Cyclones then added two more tally’s to the scoreboard in the half.  The first of two came in the 27th minute when freshman Melani Pupo (Newton/Morris Catholic) capitalized on an assist from Kiti Ovaskainen (Helsinki, Finland).  The second came off the foot of fellow freshman Lindsey Sittinger (West Milford/West Milford) in the 38th minute.  Senior Clare Johnson (Morris Plains/Morristown) recorded her fifth assist of the year on the goal.  Following the halftime break where Centenary held a three goal cushion, the Lady Cyclones opened the second period with another quick score.  In the 50th minute it was Johnson who was on the other end of the combination, as she took an assist from Jerilyn Carine (Bayonne/Holy Family) and extended the lead to 4-0.  The women’s fifth and final notch came in the 60th minute when Diana Gazzano (Hamburg/Walkill Valley) took a cross from teammate Ashley Gerber (Medford/Shawnee) and found the back of the net.  Centenary’s pair of goalkeeper’s Ashley Denti (Flemington/Hunterdon Central) and Coree Reuter (La Center, WA/La Center) combined for three saves and the shared shut-out.   Boxscore

(10/31/07)  The Centenary Women’s Soccer team advanced to the PAC (Pennsylvania Athletic Conference) Championship game earlier today, with a 2-1 victory over visiting Misericordia University.  The Lady Cyclones improve to 12-4-2 on the year with the win, while the Cougars finish their season at 13-8-1.

The host Lady Cyclones jumped out early as they have grown accustomed to doing all season.  Centenary’s Tanya DiDonna (Colts Neck/Middletown South) netted her 17th goal of the season, off an assist from Lauren Loe (Dana Point, CA/Corona del Mar) in the 13th minute, to put the women on top 1-0.  Centenary continued to possess the ball most of the half, out shooting MU 6-3 in the half and gaining a 4-1 advantage in corners.  At the close of a very positive first half, the Centenary women struck again when a shot from Lauren Loe was saved by Cougars’ keeper Jemilia Najjar-Keith and DiDonna was right there for her second tally of the day. 

After the halftime break, Misericordia appeared to have the more momentum.  The visitor’s opened the half with their first goal of the day, just three minutes into the period.  MU’s Carlee Murry connected on a pass from Kim Suchoski to trim the lead to 2-1.  The Cougars returned the favor in the closing 45-minutes, out shooting the Lady Cyclones 8-3 and 4-0 in corner kicks.  Unfortunately for Misericordia their lone goal was all the scoring they could manage this afternoon. 

Centenary goalkeeper Ashley Denti (Flemington/Hunterdon Central) made five saves in the victory, while DiDonna’s pair of goals was the difference. 

Centenary now advances to Saturday’s, PAC Championship game versus Eastern University.  Game time is scheduled for 1:00pm on the campus of Eastern.  Boxscore

(10/27/07)  On Saturday afternoon the Centenary Women’s Soccer team closed out their 2007 regular season with a 2-2 draw at Marywood University.  With the tie, the Lady Cyclones finished the year at 11-4-2, 8-1-1 in the PAC.  With the eight wins in conference, Centenary solidified the #2 seed in next week’s PAC playoffs.

As for the day’s action, Marywood's Marissa Ruda opened the scoring at the 6:58 mark of the game when she finished off a Kaitlyn Miller cross from the left touchline.  Ruda took one touch and then slipped the ball past Centenary net-minder Ashley Denti.  Centenary quickly responded with a goal 10-seconds later as Sam Vanni (Haskell / Lakeland) scored for Centenary on an assist from Kiti Ovaskainen (Helsinki, Finland).  Melanie Pupo (Newton/Morris Catholic) took a touch on the pass from Ovaskainen before Vanni put the finishing touches on the play to make it 1-1.

Almost four minutes later, Tanya DiDonna (Colts Neck/Middletown South) put the Cyclones up 2-1 on Ovaskainen’s second assist of the day.  The Cyclones closed the first half with a 5-1 advantage in shots, but after intermission Marywood came out strong, pressing the Centenary back line.  In the 69th miniute, the pressure paid off as Shannon Hresko found a streaking Amanda Costello down the right side, who was able to beat Denti, tying the game at   2-2. 

After a scoreless overtime in which Centenary managed one shot to Marywood's zero, the Cyclones pressured late and Marywood keeper Meghan Coyle was forced to make a diving save with just over 10-seconds remaining in overtime to preserve the tie.  Centenary held a 15-6 advantage in shots and a 10-6 advantage in corners.  Denti (Flemington/Hunterdon Central) collected one save on the day for the Lady Cyclones, while Coyle made six saves for Marywood.

The Lady Cyclones will await the first round of playoffs on Monday, to see who they will host on Wednesday afternoon in the PAC Semi-finals.  The #2 seed, Centenary will take on the highest remaining seed on the 31st, in a game scheduled for 2:00 pm.  Boxscore

(10/20/07)  Earlier this afternoon, on Senior Day at Centenary College, the Lady Cyclones Soccer team defeated Immaculata University 5-2 for their eighth conference win of the season.  The victory improves Centenary to 11-4 on the year and keeps them securely in second place amidst the PAC standings.  As for the visiting Macs, they fall to 8-7, 3-6 in conference with the loss.

Centenary resorted back to their scoring ways from the first half of the season, jumping right on their opponent straight from the opening whistle.  The Lady Cyclones tallied their first goal just twelve minutes into the game, as Senior Tanya DiDonna (Colts Neck/Middletown South) connected on an assist from Sam Vanni (Haskell/Lakeland).  Centenary struck again just over eight minutes later when they were awarded a penalty kick.  Freshman Melanie Pupo (Newton Morris Catholic) calmly knocked its past the IU keeper, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead.  IU’s Colleen Jennings cut the lead in half, two minutes later when she scored her first of two unassisted goals on the day.  The Lady Cyclones would again extend the advantage to two goals, when DiDonna netted her second goal in the 29th minute.  The Macs’ Jennings would pull the visitor’s to within 3-2 scoring the half’s final goal in the 34th minute.

In the second half it was all the Lady Cyclones as they upped the defensive intensity and ball movement on offense, in turn creating numerous scoring opportunities.  DiDonna, the team’s leading scorer, took full advantage of those chances capitalizing on two more goals both coming on assists from fellow senior Clare Johnson (Morris Plains/Morristown).

Centenary’s honored seniors gave quite performance, as DiDonna finished her day with four goals, while Johnson added a pair of assist and goalkeeper Coree Reuter (LA Center, WA/La Center) made two saves in the her 80-plus minutes of play to help seal the victory.  Boxscore

(10/16/07) This afternoon the Centenary College women’s soccer traveled to Aston, Pennsylvania looking to add another PAC Conference win to their total.  Neumann College turned out to be a formidable opponent as the Lady Cyclones had to wait for an overtime penalty kick to be crowned victorious. 

In the first period both the Lady Cyclones and Neumann struggled to keep possession of the ball with the majority of play going from end to end.  One of Centenary’s best chances of the half came when senior Clare Johnson (Morris Plains/Morristown) was able to turn on her defender and force Knights keeper Caitlin Agnew to push the ball wide of the net.   

The second half saw more energy from the Lady Cyclones and a few more golden scoring opportunities missed as Tanya DiDonna (Colts Neck/Middletown South) hit the post from a few yards out and a cross from Lauren Loe (Dana Point, CA/Corona del Mar) just eluded the head of Lindsey Sittinger (West Milford/West Milford) who was running onto the far post.  With time winding down, Centenary continued the onslaught but could not capitalize and the game headed into overtime with the score still 0-0. 

Only a few minutes into the overtime period, the Lady Cyclones got the break they needed when Sam Vanni (Haskell/Lakeland) was pulled down in the penalty area.  Freshman Melaine Pupo (Newtown/Morris Catholic) stepped up and scored the game winner after 105 minutes of play for the Cyclones 7th conference victory.
 
The Lady Cyclones out shot the Knights 22 to 12 and had the advantage in corner kicks as well.  Senior keeper Coree Reuter (LaCenter, WA/LaCenter) tallied three saves and Agnew had 11 saves in net for the Knights.

The Lady Cyclones are now 10-4-1 overall and 7-1 in the PAC Conference.  The women are back at home to take on Immaculata University for their senior game this Saturday, October 20th.   Boxscore

(10/13/07) This afternoon on Cyclone Field the Centenary men’s and women’s soccer teams both took on Pennsylvania Athletic Conference rivals Cabrini College.  The women’s team played first and came away victorious by a score of 3-1.  The men were not able to the result they wanted in the second match however, falling 2-0. 

First in the women’s game the Lady Cyclones were extend their winning streak to three games.  In the first half, senior and leading scorer Tanya DiDonna (Colts Neck/Middletown South) was able to put Centenary out in front off of a bouncing ball in the box.  Teammate Kiti Ovaskainen (Helsinki, Finland/Vaskieneoreo Lukio) was able to control the ball long enough to slip a pass back to DiDonna who found the back of the net.  Just two minutes later the Cavaliers tied the score when Corinne Szymczak sent a long through ball to Sabina DeGisi who only had to take a few dribbles before she chipped it over the head of Centenary keeper Ashley Denti (Flemington/Hunterdon Central).  Thirty seconds before the halftime whistle the Lady Cyclones got back out in front when freshman Melanie Pupo (Newtown/Morris Catholic) got her foot on another loose ball in the penalty area to make the score 2-1.

Ovaskainen put the finishing touch on the game three minutes into the second period when she put a ball in the back of the net off of a rebound given up by Cabrini keeper Cheyenne White.  Denti made six saves in the victory.  This win takes the Lady Cyclones to 9-4-1 overall and 6-1 in the PAC with three regular season games to go.

The Lady Cyclones are back in action this Tuesday, October 16th when they take to the road for a match up against PAC opponent Neumann College at 4:00pm. 

Boxscore 

(10/8/07) After a four game dry streak, senior Clare Johnson (Morris Plains/Morristown) was able to score two goals and lead the team in the Lady Cyclones game against the College of St. Elizabeth’s this afternoon.  Despite the unseasonable heat, the women were able to skate past the Eagles 8-0. 

Seven of Centenary’s eight goals came in the first half starting with Johnson’s first coming less than a minute into play.  Two minutes later Kiti Ovaskainen (Helsinki, Finland/Vaskeineoreo Lukio) scored her second goal of the season off of an assist from Bianca Santulli (Bridgewater/Bridgewater).  Freshman Ashley Gerber (Medford/Shawnee) grabbed her first collegiate points and the Lady Cyclones third goal of the game, off of a header that resulted from a corner kick by Johnson.   

Sixteen minutes into the half, defender Lauren Loe (Corona del Mar, CA/Corona del Mar) continued the scoring streak when she took a long shot outside the 18 yard box that just went over the fingertips of St. Elizabeth’s keeper Krystie Fierro and hit the upper right corner of the net. Freshman Sam Vanni (Haskell/Lakeland) had the assist on Loe’s goal and then less than a minute later Centenary’s offense caught St. Elizabeth’s off guard and a series of one touch passes ended up on Vanni’s foot which found the back of the net for two more points.   

Johnson netted her second goal in the 29th minute of play when she broke free from a defender and pushed the ball past Fierro.  Freshman Casey Kucinski (Succasunna/Roxbury) recorded Centenary’s seventh goal and their last of the half in the 38th minute of play off of a pass from teammate Lindsey Sittinger (West Milford/West Milford). The women concluded their scoring with a goal by Emily Applegate (South River/South River), who also grabbed her first points as a college player, 20 minutes into the second half off of an assist by Christina Stassi (Hackettstown/Pope John XXII).

The Centenary women have a little bit of a break from their packed schedule this week, as they do not play their next game until this weekend.  With only PAC opponents left, the women will look to this Saturday when they take on the first of the four conference rivals, Cabrini College at 1:00pm on Cyclone Field.  This match marks the first game in a double header with the Centenary men’s soccer team.   Boxscore

Centenary women's soccer player Tanya DiDonna was named Player of the Week for both the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) and the ECAC South Region.  She is the first Women's Soccer player to be selected as player of the week in the PAC Conference and the first ECAC winner this fall. 

A senior captain for the Lady Cyclones, DiDonna scored seven goals in a 3-0  (2-0 PAC) week.  She recorded a hat trick against PAC rival Cedar Crest College and scored two goals in a game against non-conference Baptist Bible College and another two in the match against their last PAC rival of the week, College of Notre Dame.  In the three games the Colts Neck Native was able to surpassed her high in previous seasons of six goals.  Presently DiDonna stands at 21 goals over her four years at Centenary.

(9/25/07) This afternoon the Centenary women’s soccer team traveled to Allentown Pennsylvania to take on PAC opponent Cedar Crest College.  The Lady Cyclones were able to come away with a win as well as remain undefeated in the conference.  Leading the women in the victory were senior Tanya DiDonna (Colts Neck/Middletown South), who had a hat trick, and freshman Bianca Santulli (Bridgewater/Bridgewater), who had a goal and two assists.

The first half was an eventful one for the Lady Cyclones as they scored four goals in the first 15 minutes of play.  DiDonna scored her first goal of the season and her first of three this afternoon in the seventh minute off of a pass from Santulli.  DiDonna’s second goal came less than two minutes later when she received a pass from teammate Kiti Ovaskainen (Helsinki, Finland/Vaskeineoren Lukio) and slid a ball past the Falcons goalkeeper Amy Stumpff.  Freshman Sam Vanni (Haskell/Lakeland) was able to net the third goal for the Lady Cyclones in the ninth minute when classmate Santulli slotted a through ball that she was able to push past Stumpff near post.

There was less action for the Lady Cyclones in the second half as the score remained unchanged until the 59th minute when the Falcons were able to get on the board off of a set piece hit by Tiffany Britt.  The women answered back when DiDonna netted her third goal and Centenary’s last of the game in the 62nd minute after dribbling past two Cedar Crest defenders. 

This victory brings the Lady Cyclones overall record to 3-3-1 and 3-0 in the PAC Conference.  The women are back at home Thursday, September 27th to take on visiting Baptist Bible at 4:00pm.    Boxscore

(9/19/07) This afternoon the Centenary Women’s Soccer team took on Misericordia, their second PAC opponent of the season in their home opener.  The Lady Cyclones were lifted over The Cougars, who were picked to finish second in the PAC preseason rankings, by senior Clare Johnson (Morris Plains/Morristown) who had the game winner in the 99th minute.    

The Centenary women struggled to find a rhythm in the first half as neither team was able to get on the board.  Both the Lady Cyclones and the Cougars had chances but they were not able to capitalize. 

The action began in the second half when The Cougars got out in front of Centenary off of a goal by Kim Suchoski in the 56th minute of play.  Twenty minutes later the Lady Cyclones got in an even deeper hole when Misericordia’s Katie Shaner put a ball over the head of goalkeeper Coree Reuter (La Center,WA/La Center). 

Just five minutes after Misericordia's second goal, Centenary got back into the game when seniors Tanya DiDonna (Colts Neck/Middletown South) and Clare Johnson combined off a corner kick.  DiDonna kick sent a line drive screaming to the near post and Johnson was able to beat the keeper and head the ball into the back of the net.  The Lady Cyclones kept pressing and just over four minutes before the buzzer, freshman Sam Vanni (Haskell/Lakeland) slipped a ball past keeper Jemila Najjar-Keith to even the score and send the game into overtime.  Freshman Danielle Dole (Wall/Wall) had the assist on Vanni’s goal for her first collegiate point.  The Lady Cyclones emerged victorious four minutes into the first overtime period when Johnson got a one on one with Misericordias keeper and was able to slide the ball into the corner of the net.       

Reuter totaled eight saves in the match while Najjar-Keith grabbed five.  

The Lady Cyclones are now 2-2-1 overall and 2-0 in the PAC Conference as they prepare for their next match this weekend against Richard Stockton at 1:00pm on Cyclone Field.  This game is the first match-up in a double header with the Centenary men’s team.   Boxscore