FLUSHING, N.Y. – The Queens College women's soccer team enters Week Five with an overall record of 5-3 and a 1-0 mark in East Coast Conference (ECC) play after splitting a pair of matches last week. The Knights opened ECC play with a 3-0 victory over regionally-ranked No. 9 Roberts Wesleyan University, earning their first conference-opening win for the second consecutive season.
On Tuesday, head coach Thomas Paris and Queens returned to No. 9 in the latest United Soccer Coaches East Region poll, marking the fourth consecutive week the Knights have appeared in the regional rankings.
Through eight matches, Queens has scored 15 goals while averaging 1.8 goals and 15.9 shots per match. The Knights have also posted five shutouts this season, ranking 25th nationally in shutout percentage.
Senior Ashley Kieblesz leads the Knights with seven goals and 14 total points, ranking tied for fourth nationally. Kieblesz was named the ECC Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31 before earning Honor Roll recognition on Sept. 7 and Sept. 21. She has recorded two game-winning goals this season.
Rookie Mia Hanson recorded her fourth and fifth ECC-leading assists of the season in Queens' 3-0 victory over No. 9 and defending ECC champion Roberts Wesleyan, earning her first ECC Honor Roll selection of the season on Sept. 21. Hanson assisted senior Anna Tavantzis' game-winning goal in the 48th minute before setting up Tavantzis again in the 67th minute to complete the senior's brace. Her two-assist performance helped the Knights earn their first victory over the Redhawks since 2014 and snap Roberts Wesleyan's 18-match unbeaten streak.
Senior goalkeeper Samantha Hines-Hirsch earned her fourth consecutive ECC weekly honor, landing on the Honor Roll on Monday, Sept. 21. Hines-Hirsch made three saves in the 3-0 victory over Roberts Wesleyan to record her fifth shutout of the season, helping the Knights earn their first win over the Redhawks since 2014 and snap their 18-match unbeaten streak.
Tavantzis earned her second ECC Honor Roll selection of the season after recording her first brace of the year against Roberts Wesleyan on Sept. 21. Tavantzis scored her second game-winning goal of the season in the 48th minute before completing her brace in the 67th minute. She enters the week with three goals and two assists for eight total points.
Queens opens the week by concluding its homestand against another ranked opponent, welcoming the Saint Anselm College Hawks to Flushing on Wednesday before returning to ECC play Saturday afternoon against the St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans in Sparkill.
Saint Anselm College Preview
The Hawks enter the week with an overall record of 3-0-1 and are receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches National poll while ranking No. 4 in the East Region.
Wednesday's meeting will be the second all-time matchup between the two programs and the first since 2012, when Queens earned a 1-0 road victory. Saint Anselm will be Queens' fourth regionally-ranked opponent of the season and its second opponent receiving votes in the national poll.
The matchup will also mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs at Knights Field.
St. Thomas Aquinas College Preview
The Spartans enter the week with an overall record of 0-2 and a 0-1 mark in ECC play after falling to Mercy University, 7-0, in their conference opener Saturday afternoon.
Saturday's matchup will be the 28th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Queens holding a 15-7-5 advantage in the series. Last season, the teams played to a 1-1 draw in Flushing.
The Knights will look to earn their second consecutive road victory in Sparkill after recording a 2-0 victory over the Spartans on Oct. 27, 2024.
NEXT WEEK OUTLOOK
Queens returns home for its lone match of the week on Saturday, Oct. 3, welcoming Molloy University to Knights Field for an ECC matchup.
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