NCAA Division II Women's Final Four Preview

• by Soccer America , Nov 29, 2007

Seattle Pacific takes a 23-game winning streak into Thursday's semifinal against Franklin Pierce in the NCAA Division II Women's Tournament. In the other semifinal, last year's runner-up Grand Valley State faces Tampa. Saturday's final in Orange Beach, Fla., will be broadcast live on CSTV at 1 pm ET.

GRAND VALLEY STATE (21-0-1)
History: The Lakers enjoyed the best year in their history when they were runner-up to Metro State at last year's final four.
Tournament: GVSU won a rematch of the 2005 and 2006 quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over Nebraska-Omaha.
Star: Canadian Katy Tafler has scored 36 goals to give her 94 goals in three seasons.

TAMPA (18-2-3)
History: Tampa returns to the final four, where it again faces Grand Valley State in the semifinals.
Tournament: The Spartans needed a shootout to beat Columbus State in the quarterfinals.
Star: Shelby Kuni has scored 14 goals to give her a school record 53 goals in her career.

FRANKLIN PIERCE (17-1-5)
History: Franklin Pierce is playing in its record 14th final four and won five titles (1994-97 and 1999).
Tournament: The Ravens won all four games by shutouts and beat West Chester, 1-0, in the semifinals to gain revenge for their loss in last year's tournament.
Star: Brazilian Gabriela Demoner (28 goals, 12 assists) was named the Northeast-10 Player of the Year.

SEATTLE PACIFIC (23-0-0)
History: The SPU men have won five D2 titles; the SPU women are looking for their first. They came close in 2005 when they lost to Nebraska-Omaha in the final in overtime.
Tournament: The Falcons won all three games by shutouts to advance to the final.
Star: Sarah Martinez, the leading scorer with 17 goals and nine assists, is one of seven starters who played on the 2005 runner-up team.