Weekly Schedule:
Thursday, Oct. 27 – vs. Emporia State; 2:00 pm; KIRKSVILLE
*Saturday, Oct. 29 – vs. Central Missouri; 1:00 pm; KIRKSVILLE
* - Match counts toward MIAA standings
Full Notes (PDF)
Week At-a-Glance:
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - The regular season conference championship and the No. 1 seed in next week's MIAA tournament will be settled at the Bulldog Soccer Park this week during a pair of home games, as the Truman women's soccer team prepares to wrap up its 2011 regular season.
The Bulldogs (10-4-2, 7-0 MIAA) – winners of seven straight dating back to late September – will play host to Emporia State in a non-conference MIAA match on Thursday (Oct. 27) at 2:00 pm before a Senior Day showdown on Saturday (Oct. 29) at 1:00 pm for the MIAA regular season title against Central Missouri.
Both Truman and the 10th-ranked Jennies will enter Saturday's match having gone 7-for-7 in MIAA matches, with the winner securing the top seed for next weekend's MIAA tournament, to be held in Kansas City from Nov. 3-6. The winner of the conference tournament receives the league's automatic postseason bid, which could be more important than ever for the league as only UCM was in the top-6 of the first NCAA regional poll. In last Wednesday's first official poll, Truman was seeded ninth.
It will have been six weeks since the Bulldogs and Jennies last met on the field, with UCM picking up a 2-0 win in Warrensburg on Sept. 17 in a non-counting MIAA match. Meanwhile, Truman will have seen ESU just 11 days prior to their Thursday match, as the Bulldogs handed the Hornets a 1-0 setback in Emporia on Oct. 16 – taking the 'Dogs to 6-0 in the league at the time.
Postseason Outlook:
The MIAA tournament makes its return this season, with the six-team event taking place on the UMKC campus from Nov. 3-6. The Bulldogs, by virtue of a six-point lead on both Missouri Southern and Northwest Missouri with just one MIAA match remaining, has already locked up one of the top two seeds. That allows the team to take a “bye” on Nov. 3's first round and advance to face one of the first round winners on Nov. 4 in the semifinals.
Truman and UCM will settle the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds this Saturday, while NWMSU and MSSU will settle the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds in their head-to-head matchup in Joplin on Thursday night. Yet to be decided are the Nos. 5 and 6 seeds, as every remaining school except Missouri Western could qualify for the spots in a variety of formations.
The winner of the MIAA tournament receives the league's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament's South Central regional, which will begin on Thursday, Nov. 11, at one of two regional campus sites (TBD).
In the first official regional poll, announced last Wednesday by the NCAA, the Bulldogs were seeded ninth. UCM was the MIAA's only current representative in the top-6, placing third, while three other Bulldog opponents from this season – Abilene Christian, Midwestern State and Central Oklahoma – found themselves ranked 1st, 2nd and 4th respectively.
New regional polls will be released both this Wednesday (Oct. 26) and next Wednesday (Nov. 2), with the final bracket being unveiled on Monday, Nov. 7.
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:
After outscoring their opponents 12-1 in the last seven contests, the Bulldogs have won seven straight to reach the double-digit win mark for the 17th consecutive season, all under the direction of head coach Mike Cannon.
The Bulldogs have scored 25 goals on the season (1.56/game) while allowing 19 (1.19/game) and have outshot their opponents by a 296-132 margin. Junior Kelsey Twellman leads the Bulldogs in points with 18, fueled by seven goals and four assists. Four of her seven goals have been game-winners in 2011.
Truman's team leader in goals scored is sophomore Trisha Shoemaker, who has scored eight times on 21 shots on goal. Junior Olivia Hayes ranks third on the squad both in goals (4) and assists (3), while senior Megan Buri is the team-leader and one of the MIAA's-best in assists with seven.
Senior keeper Jayne Grisham has been part of all seven Bulldog shutouts this season, making five on her own and two in conjunction with sophomore Emily Bozdeck. Grisham has a goals-against average of 1.06 in 1183 minutes of action this year, allowing just 14 goals.
Checking Out the Competition:
Emporia State “Hornets” (2-8-5)
ESU has played just once since last playing Truman, notching a 1-1 road draw with Washburn on Oct. 20. On the season, the Hornets have scored 13 goals, giving up 17, and have been outshot 244-184. Catie Hyde's three goals leads the squad, while Sarah Anderson ranks first on the team with three assists. Nikki Schmitz has a 0.76 GAA in 1069 minutes in goal, allowing just nine goals while making 87 saves in net.
Bryan Sailer is in his first season at the helm in Emporia. Truman has a 19-0-2 lead in the all-time series.
Central Missouri “Jennies” (15-1, 7-0 MIAA)
The only team in the MIAA with a longer win streak than Truman are the Jennies of Central Missouri, who come into the week having won 13 in a row dating back to a Sept. 8 home loss to Dallas Baptist. UCM will travel to SBU for a non-counting MIAA match on Thursday before heading to Truman on Saturday.
The Jennies have scored 47 goals this season and allowed just five in outshooting their opponents by a 339-62 margin. Alyssa Rhodes leads the team with 11 goals and 26 points, while Becky Lackey – who netted both goals in UCM's win against Truman earlier this season – ranks second with ten goals. Carly Stanley leads the team with eight assists, while Brooke Cooley has a 0.34 GAA in 1305 minutes in net, making 27 saves.
Lewis Theobald is in his fifth season as the Jennies' head coach, compiling a 75-15-8 record. Truman has a 19-9-4 lead in the all-time series.
Bulldogs Making Noise in Record Books:
A quartet of Bulldogs – three seniors and a junior – are inking their names into the Bulldog record book as the 2011 season begins to wind down, including:
· Megan Buri – 10th in career assists (18); 9th in games played (81)
· Jaclyn Schumann – 12th in games played (80)
· Jayne Grisham – 4th in shutouts (22); 5th in minutes played (4431); 7th in saves (152)
· Olivia Hayes – 5th in shots (170); t-8th in goals (22); 11th in points (54)
Senior Day Celebration on Saturday:
The Bulldog women's soccer program will recognize its six seniors prior to kickoff on Saturday, as Jayne Grisham, Amy Schnoes, Jaclyn Schumann, Heather Niebling, Megan Buri and Alison Taylor will compete in Kirksville for the final time. Grisham, Schumann, Niebling and Buri have been regular starters this season, with Taylor having played in all 16 matches primarily off the bench. Schnoes suffered a season-ending injury prior to the season but will be graduating and advancing to graduate school following this academic year.
Combined, the six players have played in 358 matches, scored 21 goals, handed out 26 assists, recorded 4,721 minutes in net and posted a 53-16-12 overall record in their three-plus seasons.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will learn their MIAA tournament semifinal opponent following Saturday's matches and will open conference tournament play on Friday, Nov. 4 at either 1:00 or 4:00 pm on the UMKC campus.
