Weekly Schedule:
at Quincy Bowl; Quincy, Illinois
Saturday, Sept. 3 – vs. #13 Missouri S&T; 5:00 pm
Sunday, Sept. 4 – at Quincy; 7:30 pm
Full Notes (PDF)
Live Stats (hosted by QU)
Weekend At-a-Glance:
Fresh off a trip to the NCAA tournament in 2010, the 15th-ranked Truman men's soccer team opens 2011 with a pair of key regional matches at the Quincy Bowl, held this Saturday and Sunday in Quincy, Illinois. The Bulldogs will square off with No. 13 Missouri S&T in Saturday's 5:00 pm season-opener before taking on the host QU Hawks at 7:30 pm on Sunday night. All three teams reached the NCAA tournament in 2010.
The Bulldogs return ten letter-winners, including attacking forward Andy Chapman (five goals in 2010) and midfielder Jonathan Brown (six assists in 2010) in front of last season's starting keeper, Tyler Knierim, who posted a 0.93 goals-against average and made 62 saves.
However, head coach Duke Cochran will have to rely on a handful of freshmen and sophomores to help carry the load, as the Bulldogs have just ten upperclassmen on their 30-man roster.
The purple and white start the year right where they left off in 2010, ranked No. 15 in the NSCAA Div. II top-25 coaches' poll, setting high expectations for the Bulldogs to try and make the NCAA tournament in their final year as members of the South Central region. Starting in 2012, the Bulldogs shift to the Central region, leaving behind programs from the Lone Star and Heartland conferences to join with the Northern Sun and Great American leagues.
Following the Bulldogs:
Quincy University will provide free online stats throughout the weekend via their website, hawks.quincy.edu. Links to both Bulldog matches are available on the Men's Soccer schedule page as well as the top of this release.
Scouting the S&T Miners:
The Bulldog men's soccer program's oldest rivalry kicks off the 2011 campaign, as Truman hooks up with Missouri S&T (formerly Missouri-Rolla) in the opening match of this year's Quincy Bowl. The Bulldogs and Miners have met 34 times over the years, with Truman holding a 22-7-5 advantage in the all-time series, including a 3-0-2 mark under coach Cochran (since 2005).
The Miners, members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, are coming off a GLVC conference championship and a run to the NCAA Midwest regional final in 2010. S&T was picked 13th in the NSCAA Div. II top-25 coaches' poll and were also pegged third behind Northern Kentucky and Lewis (Ill.) in the GLVC preseason poll.
S&T experienced its greatest success last year on the defensive end, anchored by all-American goalkeeper Pat McNamee. McNamee recorded nine shutouts and totaled a 0.67 GAA. Kyle Schraier, who tied for the team lead with five goals in 2010, returns, as do Spencer Brinkmeyer and Brian Seawright, who tallied four goals apiece.
The Bulldogs got goals in each half last season to defeat S&T, 2-0, on Sept. 24 in Kirksville. Truman took 14 shots on goal to just four for the Miners.
Scouting the QU Hawks:
Following the matchup with S&T on Saturday, the Bulldogs will be tasked with taking on the tournament host, Quincy, in primetime on Sunday night. It will be the 21st meeting between the two programs all-time, with the 'Dogs holding an 11-5-4 edge, including a 3-2-1 record under coach Cochran (since 2005).
Also members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, the Hawks enter 2011 after an 11-7-2 record last season and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Eight starters return for long-time head coach Jack Mackenzie's squad, including senior forward Grant Ellison, who was an NSCAA all-region pick last year following a 15-goal campaign. Holding down the end line will be junior keeper D.J. Lampert, who posted a 0.93 GAA and made 86 saves a year ago. The Hawks were picked fourth in the preseason GLVC poll.
The two teams played to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 20 in Kirksville last season. QU scored in the 24th minute before the Bulldogs retaliated just 21 seconds later to knot the score. However, neither team could find the back of the net the rest of the way, as Lampert and Bulldog keeper Tyler Knierim combined for 11 saves in the 110 minutes.
Quincy Bowl History:
The Bulldog men have experienced unprecedented success at the Quincy Bowl, having posted a 14-0-3 record in 17 career games at the competition. Truman is averaging 2.52 goals per game while giving up just 0.82 to go with six shutouts.
Truman has never faced Missouri S&T at the Quincy Bowl and is 5-0-2 all-time against the host Hawks in their own event.
Bulldogs vs. Mo. S&T/QU:
- Goalkeeper Tyler Knierim has a combined 2-0-1 record against S&T and QU, having given up two goals in 290 minutes of work.
- Charlie Backus tallied a game-winner against Missouri S&T in 2008.
- Jonathan Brown scored a game-winner against Quincy at the 2009 QU Bowl.
- Matt Sanderson handed out an assist last season against Missouri S&T.
Knierim Making His Mark:
Junior goalkeeper Tyler Knierim enters the 2011 season ranked sixth on Truman's all-time shutouts list, having recorded 13 through his first two seasons in net. He sits just four back of fifth all-time (Derek Mazeitis, 1994-96) and six back of a tie for third between Stan Dippel (1982-85) and David Wiebenga (1998-01).
Road Warriors:
The 2011 Bulldogs will spend the majority of the season away from Kirksville, as 12 of the 16 games are either road or neutral site contests. Overall, the 'Dogs will log just more than 5,000 miles this season, or, enough to go to Boston, Mass., and back…twice.
Hello, Who are You?:
Five teams on the 2011 slate are new opponents for the Bulldog program, including Dixie (Utah) State, Central (Iowa), Fort Hays (Kan.), Sioux Falls (S.D.) and Mary (N.D.).
Up Next:
The Bulldogs are set to pay a return visit to Fort Lewis (Colo.), a perennial Div. II power, next weekend after taking down the Skyhawks, 2-1, in Kirksville last September. On that trip, Truman will also meet Dixie State to wrap up the Friday/Sunday trek to Colorado.
