Weekly Schedule:
*Thursday, Oct. 13 – vs. Washburn; 3:00 pm; KIRKSVILLE
*Sunday, Oct. 16 – at Emporia State; 12:00 pm; Emporia, Kan.
* - Match counts toward MIAA standings
Full Notes (PDF)
Week At-a-Glance:
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - The Truman women's soccer team will look to continue building on its current three-game overall winning streak and four-game MIAA winning streak with a pair of matches this week, starting Thursday at home against Washburn at 3:00 pm.
The Bulldogs (6-4-2, 4-0 MIAA) posted three shutouts during the last week and a half of action, stalling the offenses of Fort Hays State (W 1-0), Missouri Western (W 1-0) and Northwest Missouri (W 2-0) to share the MIAA lead with Central Missouri at 12 points through four matches.
Both matches this week – vs. Washburn on Thursday and at Emporia State on Sunday – count towards the MIAA standings and make up matches five and six of the eight-game MIAA 2011 docket.
Following the Bulldogs:
Full coverage of Truman women's soccer is available online at TrumanBulldogs.com, including results, upcoming game information and weekly updates.
When available, links to free online live stats are added to the Bulldog soccer schedule page as well as the top of each weekly update.
Keep up with the Bulldogs by tracking in-game updates (when available). Follow Truman Athletics on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TrumanAthletics. Also be sure to sign up for TextCaster updates on the Bulldog homepage.
Canine Corner:
The Bulldogs will be well-rested entering this weekend's slate of matches, having had seven days off since a 2-0 road win at Northwest Missouri on Thursday, Oct. 6.
Although the early season fireworks of goals have dwindled slightly for the Bulldog offense, the chances have been there as Truman has outshot its opponents, 78-14, in MIAA play through the first four matches. Sophomore transfer Trisha Shoemaker remains the team's top goal-scorer with five on the season, followed closely by juniors Kelsey Twellman (four) and Olivia Hayes (three). Senior Megan Buri is responsible for five of the team's 13 total assists on the year, with Twellman and Hayes both lurking once again with three apiece.
Senior Jayne Grisham has been in goal for each of the past three shutouts, lowering her season-long goals-against average to 1.38 in more than 900 minutes.
Checking Out the Competition:
Washburn “Lady Blues” (1-9-2, 1-2-1 MIAA)
Despite a slow start to the 2011 season, Washburn has picked up points where it counts, earning four points in four games of MIAA play with a win against Fort Hays and a draw against Southwest Baptist before falling in two straight to Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri last week.
The Lady Blues have scored just six goals in 12 matches this season, with four coming off the foot of Leah Talley. She has added an assist for nine total points to lead a WU squad that is being outshot, 201-102, on the season. Both Mallorie Monhollon and Tori Fuglister have spent time in goal, with Monhollon picking up the team's only shutout of the year.
Tim Collins is in his ninth season at Washburn and has a career record of 77-68-28. The Bulldogs are 13-4-1 all-time against the Lady Blues, including a 1-0-1 mark against them last season.
Emporia State “Hornets” (1-7-4, 0-4 MIAA)
Still in search of their first MIAA win, the ESU Hornets enter the week having dropped four straight one-goal decisions – including most recently a 1-0 home loss to UCM. This is the first of two matches between the Bulldogs and Hornets, with ESU paying a return trip to Kirksville for a non-MIAA match on Oct. 27.
Like WU, the Hornets have struggled to find offensive production this year, scoring just nine goals in 12 matches. Distribution has been on the side of the Hornets, however, as six different players have found pay-dirt, led by two goals each for Malllory Walden and Catie Hyde. Sarah Anderson has added two assists to lead the team, while Nikki Schmitz has a 0.81 GAA in eight starts in goal.
Bryan Sailer is in his first season at the helm in Emporia. Truman has an 18-0-2 lead in the all-time series, including a 1-0-1 mark last season.
Bulldogs vs. WU/ESU:
A quartet of players have seen offensive success against the pair of Kansas schools, while goalkeeper Jayne Grisham has been nearly flawless against both the Lady Blues and Hornets during their careers at Truman.
Megan Buri has seen the greatest amount of offensive success, having tallied two goals and five assists against WU and ESU, while Olivia Hayes has added four goals and an assist in her two years playing against the teams. Suzanne Pelley notched a pair of goals last season, while Kelsey Twellman has gone off for a goal and three assists in her career against ESU.
Grisham, meanwhile, has totaled nearly 580 minutes in net, allowing just one goal and posting a 6-0-1 record against both WU and ESU.
Program Hits Significant Milestones:
With its 2-0 win at NWMSU last Thursday, the Truman women's soccer program recorded its 300th win in program history. All-time, Truman is 300-161-47 (.637) in 28 seasons of fielding women's soccer.
In addition, head coach Mike Cannon sits just two wins away from reaching 250 career wins, which would make him only the 48th coach in NCAA history (across all divisions) to reach that milestone. Only seven Div. II coaches have reached 250 wins, as Cannon enters the week with a career mark of 248-88-37 (.714) in 19 seasons at Truman.
MIAA Tournament Outlook:
With half of the MIAA season complete, the Bulldogs will look to clinch a berth into the six-team MIAA tournament, held Nov. 3-6 at UMKC, as early as Thursday afternoon.
Teams ranked 3rd through 6th at the end of the regular season will square off in the first round on Nov. 3, with the winners taking on the top two teams on Nov. 4. After a day off on Saturday, Nov. 5, the two semifinal winners will meet on Sunday, Nov. 6, with the winner earning the MIAA's automatic berth into the NCAA Div. II tournament.
If the season ended today, Truman and UCM would earn first-round byes, while Northwest Missouri, Missouri Southern, Southwest Baptist and Washburn would meet on day one.
Home is Where the Heart Is:
After having already played seven times in true road contests, along with three neutral-site affairs, the Bulldogs will be home at the Dog Park in Kirksville for five of their final six regular season matches in 2011.
On the season, Truman is 1-0-1 at home, 4-2-1 on the road and 1-2 at neutral sites.
Up Next:
With just two weeks to play in the 2011 regular season following this week's matches, the Bulldogs will play host to four teams to round out the year. Next week, Truman welcomes Missouri Southern for a non-conference MIAA match on Thursday, Oct. 20, before looking for a season sweep of Southwest Baptist on Saturday, Oct. 22. The SBU match will be match No. 7 of 8 in the MIAA schedule.
