2009 CAA Champions Led by the heroics of Most Outstanding Player Erin Pardini, the UNCW women’s soccer team captured its first conference championship at the 2009 CAA Women’s Soccer Championship hosted by Northeastern University in Brookline, Mass. Serving as the No. 3 seed for the four-team event, the Seahawks saw their semifinal match against No. 2 seed Hofstra go to overtime after both teams got on the board in the opening 30 minutes. Midway through the first overtime session, Pardini created separation from the Hofstra defense on the left side and sent a shot from near the endline that beat the Pride keeper and crossed the goal line just inside the rig post for the 2-1 victory. right T overtime triumph sent the Seahawks to their first championThe sh game appearance, where they faced No. 4 seed James Madiship so who dispatched host and top-seed Northeastern, 4-1, in the son, ot other semifinal. W With the championship game scoreless in the 80th minute, Pard once again rose to the occasion, converting a penalty kick dini o opportunity for the game’s only tally. Seahawks keeper Caitlin H Hutner kept the Dukes at bay all afternoon, making five saves to e earn the shutout. For their efforts, Pardini and Hunter were named to the AllTournament Team along with UNCW teammates Brittany Croce and Lindsay Henry. The victory also gave the Seahawks their first NCAA Tournament appearance, garnering the league’s automatic bid into the 64-team field by winning the conference championship. UNCW was the named the No. 3 seed in the Chapel Hill Regional and fell to Southeastern Conference opponent Georgia in a first-round matchup.
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