LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION congratulating the 2011 College of Saint Rose
Women's Soccer Team upon the occasion of capturing the NCAA Division II
National Championship

WHEREAS, Excellence and success in competitive sports can be achieved
only through strenuous practice, team play and team spirit, nurtured by
dedicated coaching and strategic planning; and
WHEREAS, Athletic competition enhances the moral and physical develop-
ment of the young people of this State, preparing them for the future by
instilling in them the value of teamwork, encouraging a standard of
healthy living, imparting a desire for success and developing a sense of
fair play and competition; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to congratu-
late the College of Saint Rose Women's Soccer Team upon the occasion of
capturing the NCAA Division II National Championship; and
WHEREAS, On Saturday, December 3, 2011, the College of Saint Rose
Women's Soccer Team capped an extraordinary season by winning the first
team national championship in the college's annals; and
WHEREAS, Having lost in the NCAA Division II national semifinals in
each of the previous three seasons, the Golden Knights of Saint Rose
trailed last year's NCAA back-to-back national champions, Grand Valley
State, by a score of 1-0 at halftime; with a tremendous and thrilling
second half effort, the College of Saint Rose overcame the deficit to
capture the Division II NCAA national championship by a score of 2-1;
and
WHEREAS, In the championship game, the College of Saint Rose was led
by two spectacular goals in less than 10 minutes into the second half by
sophomore forward, Carmelina Puopolo; and by a sterling defense, along
with superb goalkeeping by sophomore Jessica Gerski, that kept the
nation's top ranked team off the scoreboard for the final 58 minutes of
the game; and
WHEREAS, The 2011 College of Saint Rose Women's soccer team finished
the season with a record of 24-1-1; after its only loss on October 15,
2011, Saint Rose won 12 games in a row and outscored its opponents 37-3;
it defeated the number two and number one ranked teams in the nation
along the way; and
WHEREAS, The 2011 Golden Knights won a record 24 games after posting
23 victories in both 2009 and 2010; its three year record was an incred-
ible 70-3-2 for a .947 winning percentage; and
WHEREAS, The athletic talent displayed by the 2011 College of Saint
Rose Women's Soccer Team is due in great part to the efforts of Head
Coach Laurie Darling Gutheil, and Assistant Coaches, Amanda Deck, Kalley
Egbert, Jason Gutheil, Jim Lennox, Renae Ransdell, Lauren Steinberg and
Mark Van Leuven, skilled and inspirational tutors, respected for their
ability to develop potential into excellence; Coach Gutheil and her
entire coaching staff have done a superb job in guiding, molding and
inspiring the 2011 College of Saint Rose Women's Soccer Team members
toward their goals; and
WHEREAS, Head Coach Laurie Darling Gutheil was named the 2011 NSCAA
Division II National Coach of the Year; in her sixteen years at the helm
of the College of Saint Rose Women's Soccer Team, she has compiled an
outstanding record to go along with the Team's previous Northeast-10
Conference Championships, NCAA Tournament and Final Four appearances,
and the 2011 National Championship; and
WHEREAS, The hallmarks of the 2011 College of Saint Rose Women's
Soccer Team, from the opening game of the season to its NCAA Division II

National Championship, were a sisterhood of athletic ability, of good
sportsmanship, of honor and of scholarship, demonstrating that these
team players are second to none; and
WHEREAS, Athletically and academically, the 2011 College of Saint Rose
Women's Soccer Team members have proven themselves to be an unbeatable
combination of talents, reflecting favorably on the College of Saint
Rose; and
WHEREAS, Sports competition instills the values of teamwork, pride and
accomplishment; Head Coach Laurie Darling Gutheil, and her assistant
coaches, and the 2011 College of Saint Rose Women's Soccer Team's
outstanding athletes have clearly made a contribution to the spirit of
excellence which is a tradition of their college; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate the 2011 College of Saint Rose Women's Soccer Team; its
members: Lauren Minkoff, Melody Lawrence, Jessica Gerski, Marisah Case,
Meeghan Arno, Allison Schmidt, Carmelina Puopolo, Kyra Meli, Hanna Lind-
strom, Sydney Bond, Molly Harpster, Brittany Barry, Nicola D'Errico,
Maggie Grayson, Christina Cuffari, Cenayda Guzman, Kimberly Morton;
Derith Fernandes, Stephanie Vance, Brittany Godin, Meagan McKinney,
Aolfe Herbert, Laura Taylor, Gianna D'Errico, Jourdan Thompson, Niki
Smith, La'Quilla Upton, and Lana Vecchiarelli; Head Coach, Laurie
Darling Gutheil; Assistant Coaches, Amanda Deck, Kalley Egbert, Jason
Gutheil, Jim Lennox, Renae Ransdell, Lauren Steinberg and Mark Van
Leuven; Head Trainer Karen Cravens; and Assistant Trainers, Jessup
Pierce and Lisa Geiger; on their outstanding season and their NCAA Divi-
sion II National Championship; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the members, coaching staff and trainers of the 2011 College
of Saint Rose Women's Soccer Team.