Rachel Moskowitz, a four-time All-Midwest Conference player and 2005 CoSIDA Academic All-American, will leave Grinnell as the program's all-time leader in assists with 46, while ranking third in career points with 130. This past season, she scored eight goals and added 12 assists while leading Grinnell to its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Kara Moskowitz earned First Team All-Conference status this past season after netting six goals and five assists. A 2005 Second Team All-Central Region pick by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, she was also voted second team All-MWC in 2002.

The Wooster, Ohio natives were members of two MWC championship teams at Grinnell, as well as two NCAA Tournament-qualifying and two MWC Tournament champion teams. During their four-year careers, Grinnell went a combined 30-5-1 in the MWC and 46-22-3 overall.

Five MWC soccer teams from three league institutions were honored when the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) released its 2005 Team Academic Award Winners. To qualify for the award, team’s needed to post a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the 2004-05 academic year.

Carroll (3.16 GPA), Grinnell (3.47) and Lawrence (3.36) were among the 248 women’s soccer programs honored, while the Grinnell (3.42) and Lawrence (3.23) squads were two of the 65 men’s teams recognized. The Pioneers and Vikings were two of 48 schools in all of collegiate soccer to have their men’s and women’s teams both receive the award.

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A senior midfielder on Grinnell’s 2005 NCAA Tournament qualifying women’s soccer team, Moskowitz recorded six goals and five assists en route to earning first team All-MWC honors this year. She has been a member of two MWC championship teams at Grinnell, as well as two NCAA Tournament-qualifying and two MWC Tournament championship teams. During her four-year career, Grinnell went a combined 30-5-1 in the Midwest Conference and 46-22-3 overall.

Moskowitz (right), a four-time All-Midwest Conference player and political science major with a 3.89 GPA, leaves Grinnell as the program's all-time leader in assists with 46, while ranking third in career points with 130.She has been a member of two Midwest Conference championship teams at Grinnell, as well as two NCAA Tournament-qualifying and two Midwest Conference Tournament championship teams. During her four-year career, Grinnell went a combined 30-5-1 in the Midwest Conference and 46-22-3 overall.

Stevenson (left), a four-time first team All-Conference and a three-time MWC Academic All-Conference selection, set new schools marks for goals (54) and points (142) during her career at Lake Forest. Stevenson, who also ranks second all-time in Forester history in assists (34), has maintained a 3.93 grade point average while studying Biology with a pre-med focus.

A chemistry major, Horneck (right) holds 10 individual records at Monmouth including career marks for goals (66), points (163) and assists (31). She also led the team this season in goals (20), assists (9) and points (49). A three-time Dean’s List honoree, three-time academic all-conference team member, four-time all-conference selection and the 2004 conference co-Offensive Player of the Year, Horneck is the first Fighting Scot athlete since 1990 to be named Academic All-American.

2005 MWC Champion and MWC Tournament winner Grinnell followed with six All-MWC selections, including a league-best four first team selections. MWC Tournament qualifiers Monmouth and Lake Forest both had three players honored, while Beloit, Lawrence and St. Norbert each had an athlete receive all-conference accolades.

Monmouth College head coach Barry McNamara (right) was honored as the MWC Coach of the Year after guiding the Scots to a 7-2-0 conference mark that earned the Fighting Scots their first-ever MWC Tournament berth.

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Macalester managed three more shots on goal in each half, giving the Scots a 16-10 overall advantage. Grinnell fell behind 1-0 in the 14th minute of the contest and trailed by the same score at halftime. The Scots added insurance scores in the 54th and 59th minutes. Kara Moskowitz and Katherine Ni each had four shots for the Pioneers, while goalkeeper Liz Carrier made two saves.

Heather Benning’s (pictured) Grinnell team closes the season with a 14-4-2 overall mark and an 8-1 conference mark that included an MWC Championship and a second consecutive MWC Tournament title. The Pioneers won the first NCAA tourney contest in school with a 3-1 first round triumph over Lakeland last week.

Heather Benning’s Grinnell squad recorded the first NCAA Tournament victory in school history and the second tourney win in MWC history with a 3-1 triumph at home over Lakeland on Wednesday, November 9. Macalester received a first round bye and has not played since defeating Concordia-Moorhead 1-0 in the MIAC Tournament Championship game on November 5.

The Pioneers and Scots have two other common opponents on their schedules in Carleton and Gustavus Adolphus. Carleton fell to Grinnell 2-0 and Macalester 3-0, while Grinnell downed Gustavus Adolphus 1-0 in overtime and Macalester knocked off the Gusties 2-0.

Macalester’s lone tie this season came in a 1-1 contest with Augsburg . Grinnell’s only other non-conference loss this year came against NCAA tourney qualifier Loras (3-1) in the season opener.

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Heather Benning's Pioneers travel to St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday to take on Macalester (19-0-1), who received a first round bye, at 6 p.m. Macalester defeated Grinnell 1-0 during the 2005 regular-season and also knocked the Pioneers out of the 2004 NCAA Tournament with a 3-1 victory.

Ann Lehecka put Lakeland on top 1-0 just over six minutes into the contest, but the Pioneers responded with three unanswered goals. Rebecca Mackenzie knotted the game at 1-1 with a header goal in the ninth minute. Rachel Moskowitz recorded the assist on Mackenzie’s netter off a corner kick. Moskowitz’s sister, Kara, scored the unassisted game-winner in the 27th minute of the contest and gave Grinnell a 2-1 halftime advantage. Gabi Maldonado-Bell added an insurance tally for the Pioneers in the 69th minute, as Grinnell out-shot Lakeland 17-0 in the second half and 29-3 overall.

The winner of Wednesday’s contest will advance to the second round of the NCAA tourney to take on Macalester (19-0-1) on its campus in St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday, November 12.

Heather Benning's Grinnell squad secured a berth in the 2005 NCAA Tournament with a 5-3 shootout victory over Carroll in the 2005 Midwest Conference Tournament final and is currently ranked 10th in the Central Region in the latest NSCAA/Adidas Division III Regional Rankings.

Lakeland finished second in the Lake Michigan Conference regular-season standings and earned the LMC’s NCAA automatic tournament bid by defeating Maranatha and Concordia 1-0, before downing Dominican 2-0 in the championship game. The Muskies’ last NCAA Tournament bid in women’s soccer came in 2003.

Lakeland at Grinnell - NCAA Tournament Notes

* Lakeland owns victories over MWC schools St. Norbert (1-0) and Ripon (4-0) this year. The Muskies four losses this season have come to Marietta (3-0), Augustana (5-0), Aurora (4-0) and Edgewood (1-0). Aurora and Augustana both qualified for the NCAA tourney.

* A win over Lakeland would set up an NCAA Tournament rematch from a year ago, after Grinnell fell to Macalester 3-1 in the opening round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Macalester (19-0-1) received a first round bye this year. It would also mark the second meeting this season between Grinnell and Macalester. The Scots edged the Pioneers 1-0 on September 10 when Macalester was ranked 22nd in the nation by the NSCAA. Macalester is currently ranked 3rd.

* Both teams who defeated Grinnell in non-conference play this season, Macalester (1-0) and Loras (3-1), qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The Pioneers also tied tourney qualifier Pomona (1-1) in September. Grinnell is 0-2 all-time in NCAA tourney games.

* Five different Pioneer players factored in on Grinnell’s three goals in the MWC Tournament. Entering the NCAA tourney, Grinnell has nine players who have recorded nine points or more.

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Six Midwest Conference student-athletes from five member institutions were selected to the ESPN The Magazine/COSIDA Women’s Soccer Academic All-Region Team. Lake Forest’s Melissa Stevenson (left) and Monmouth’s Amy Horneck (right) were both selected to the first team in District V, while Grinnell’s Rachel Moskowitz (low left) was a first team member in District VII.

Monmouth’s Kristin Mertel (low right) and Lawrence’s Annemarie Exarhos (low left) were second team honorees, while Illinois College’s Amanada Chudy (bottom right) rounded out the MWC selections with a third team appointment. Grinell’s Moskowitz was the only selection that came outside District V. Horneck, Moskowitz and Stevenson will all be placed on the ballot for the ESPN The Magazine/COSIDA Academic All-American Team.

Moskowitz, Grinnell’s all-time assist leader (45) and a senior political science major, recorded 27 points this season to help guide the Pioneers to their eighth MWC Championship and a second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. A senior chemistry major and three-time Dean’s List honoree, Horneck led the Fighting Scots in goals (20), assists (9) and points (49) this season. Stevenson was tops on her team in all three categories as well, as the senior biology (pre-med) major and chemistry minor scored 14 goals to go with her 3.93 grade point average.

Mertel, a senior biology major and three-time Dean’s List selection, was part of a stingy Monmouth defense that posted seven shutouts this season. Exarhos received MWC Academic All-Conference honors last year as a sophomore and tallied four goals and nine points during the 2005 season. Illinois College senior defender. Chudy helped the Lady Blues to a shutout in their lone MWC victory of the season. She is a two-time Dean’s List member who has accumulated a 3.76 grade point average with a biology and chemistry double-major.

The ESPN The Magazine/COSIDA Academic All-District V team is voted on by sports information directors from District V, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin and two Canadian provinces.

Grinnell receives the conference’s automatic berth in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Pairings will be announced on Sunday, November 6 with first-round contests scheduled to be played on Wednesday, November 9.

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Grinnell's victory over Ripon came less than 24 hours after the Pioneers had defeated Carroll 1-0. Grinnell and Carroll finished the 2005 regular-season with identical 8-1 MWC marks, but Grinnell held the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to Saturday's victory.

The Pioneers will serve as the host and top seed at the 2005 Midwest Conference Women's Soccer Tournament on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 29-30. The Pioneers have won five MWC tourney titles, including last years.

Three teams have clinched berths in the 2005 Midwest Conference Women’s Soccer Tournament and the final pieces of the puzzle will take shape during the last weekend of regular-season competition.

Carroll (11-3-0, 7-0-0 MWC, 21 points), Grinnell (10-3-1, 6-1-0, 18 points) and Lake Forest (8-5-2, 5-2-2, 17 points) have all punched postseason tickets, but the final playoff spot and No. 1 seed have yet to be settled. Barring an upset on Sunday, Saturday’s matchup between the MWC’s top two teams in the standings, Grinnell and Carroll, should decide who receives the tourney’s top seed and home-field advantage. The all-Pioneer showdown kicks off at 11 a.m. in Grinnell on Oct. 23.

Monmouth (9-5-0, 5-2-0, 15 points), Lawrence ( 4-7-1, 3-3-1, 10 points) and St. Norbert (3-10-0, 3-4-0, 9 points) all remain in the mix for the fourth and final tournament slot. The Fighting Scots, who need only one victory to clinch, control their own fate with home matches against the Green Knights and Vikings on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Monmouth
Remaining Contests: Saturday, Oct. 22 vs. St. Norbert; Sunday, Oct. 23 vs. Lawrence. Scenario: A victory in either of their remaining contests or a tie in both secures a postseason berth for the Fighting Scots.

Lawrence
Remaining Contests: Saturday, Oct. 22 at Illinois College; Sunday, Oct. 23 at Monmouth. Scenario: A pair of Viking victories coupled with a pair of Monmouth losses would give Lawrence the postseason nod.

St. Norbert
Remaining Contests: Saturday, Oct. 22 at Monmouth; Sunday, Oct. 23 at Illinois College. Scenario: St. Norbert needs to win both of its remaining contests, Lawrence then has to lose to Illinois College and defeat Monmouth for St. Norbert to continue its season.

Entering the Tuesday, Oct. 11 match against Ripon College , Bell has recorded three goals and two assists and has helped the Lady Pioneers to an overall record of 8-3, including a 4-0 mark in Midwest Conference play.

Rachel Moskowitz became Grinnell's all-time assists leader during the Pioneers 2-0 shutout victory at Cornell Wednesday (Sept. 7).

Leading 1-0, Moskowitz registered an assist on Sofia Skraba's goal in the 62nd minute to give Grinnell its final margin of victory. With the assist, Moskowitz recorded her 35th career helper, passing Amy Walters for the school's all-time lead.

Grinnell (12-5-1, MWC 7-2-0) received six of nine possible first-place votes to take top honors in the 2005 Midwest Conference Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll. The poll was voted on by head coaches at participating member institutions. Lake Forest (14-3-0, 9-0-0), who finished second, had four less first-place nods than the Pioneers, but fell only three votes shy of the top spot. Carroll (13-3-1, 7-1-1) and St. Norbert (11-7-0, 6-3-0) finished third and fourth, respectively, after splitting the final two first-place tallies. Lawrence (6-10-0, 5-4-0) finished fifth, one vote ahead of Monmouth (7-8-1, 4-4-1), who finished in the #6 slot. Beloit (3-9-2, 2-6-1), Illinois College (4-10-2, 2-6-1), Ripon (3-13-0, 1-8-0) and Knox (1-14-0, 0-9-0) rounded out the poll.

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