Weekly Schedule:
Friday, Sept. 9 – at Fort Lewis (Colo.); 4:30 pm (Central)
Sunday, Sept. 11 – vs. Dixie (Utah) State; 1:00 pm (Central)
-Match vs. Dixie to be played at Colorado Mesa University (Grand Junction, Colo.)
Wednesday, Sept. 14 – at Lindenwood (Mo.); 7:00 pm
Full Notes (PDF)
Week At-a-Glance:
Nearly 2,700 miles and three different venues await the 19th-ranked Truman men's soccer team this upcoming week, as the Bulldogs travel to Colorado for a pair of matches before visiting St. Charles, Mo., next Wednesday for a showdown with a future MIAA-member.
The Bulldogs begin their journey with a match at perennial-NCAA Div. II power and 18th-ranked Fort Lewis (Colo.) on Friday afternoon at 4:30 pm (central). Truman hosted the Skyhawks last season in Kirksville and handed FLC a 2-1 setback in front of nearly 600 fans at the Truman Soccer Park.
Truman then heads north to Grand Junction, home of Colorado Mesa University, for a neutral-site match against Dixie (Utah) State at 1:00 pm (central). DSU faces Mesa on Friday and will stick around to face the Bulldogs for the first time in program histories.
Then, on Wednesday (Sept. 14), Truman heads to Lindenwood University, a program reclassifying from NAIA to Div. II for a 7:00 pm showdown. The Lions are making the move into the MIAA and will join the league officially next season.
Following the Bulldogs:
Full coverage of Truman men'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.
Scouting the #18 Skyhawks:
Truman will head to Durango, Colo., on Friday afternoon to take on a Fort Lewis team that's off to a 2-0 start in 2011. FLC, members of the Rocky Mountain conference, defeated both Montana-Billings and Hawaii-Pacific, 3-0, in home action last weekend and is idle until the Truman match.
The Skyhawks have allowed only five total shots to be taken by opponents so far in 2011 and have gotten a pair of goals out of both Jordan Alexander and Kosta Kordistos. Ryan Wirth, with limited action in front of him, has made two saves in two matches for a pair of easy shutouts.
The two teams have a 1-1 all-time series record, with Truman winning in Kirksville in 2010 and Fort Lewis winning at a neutral site in 1996.
Scouting the Red Storm:
Dixie (Utah) State, members of the Pac-West conference, have opened with a 0-1-1 record in 2011 following a season-opening loss to Cal Poly-Pomona and draw with Colorado-Pueblo, both in Phoenix, Arizona. They face Colorado Mesa on Friday before playing Truman on Sunday.
Clayton Alexander is responsible for two of the team's three goals this season, scoring once in each game. Two different keepers have seen time between the pipes for DSU, with Tyler Walters getting 135 of the 180 minutes so far and allowing four goals.
Truman and Dixie State have never met.
Scouting the Lions:
Wrapping up the week are the Lindenwood (Mo.) Lions, a provisional Div. II member making the transition from NAIA during the next three seasons. They joined Truman at last weekend's Quincy Bowl, coming up short in a 3-0 decision to Quincy and a 2-1 loss to then-No. 13 Missouri S&T. The squad is off to Texas for matches against Incarnate Word and St. Edward's this weekend before hosting Truman on Wednesday (Sept. 14) night.
Franz Husbands tallied LWU's lone goal at the Quincy Bowl, while the Lions were outshot, 24-17. Two keepers combined for a 2.50 GAA, with Hugo Maradieque being saddled with four of the team's five goals allowed in his 135 minutes of work.
The Lions, who will make a return trip to Kirksville for a match on Oct. 16, have met Truman six times on the pitch with the all-time series tied at 3-3. The teams haven't met since Oct. 6, 1997, a 1-0 overtime win for Truman in Kirksville.
Bulldogs vs. FLC/DSU/LWU:
- Junior Andy Chapman scored the tying goal against FLC in last season's matchup during the 49th minute of play. Senior Jonathan Brown set him up with the assist.
- Junior Tyler Knierim made seven saves and allowed one goal in earning the win last season against FLC.
- Sophomore Dylan Carter took one shot last season against FLC.
- No current Bulldog has faced either DSU or LWU.
'Dogs Remain in Top-25:
Despite going 1-1 on its opening weekend, the Truman men's soccer team commanded respect for the second straight week from the national pollsters, as the Bulldogs slipped just four spots to No. 19 in the NSCAA top-25 Coaches' Poll.
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.
I'm Sorry, I Didn't Catch Your Name…:
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:
Three more matches await the 'Dogs next week/weekend, starting with a trip to Div. III Central (Iowa) on Saturday (Sept. 17), before visiting long-time NAIA rival Columbia (Mo.) on Friday (Sept. 23) and Div. II foe Upper Iowa on Sunday (Sept. 25).
