Women's Soccer 8/27/2012 12:49:00 PM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Women's Soccer Week 1 Notes: Minn. State/Winona

Weekly Schedule:
Friday, Aug. 31 – vs. Minnesota State; 4:00 pm; KIRKSVILLE
Sunday, Sept. 2 – vs. Winona (Minn.) State; 12:00 pm; KIRKSVILLE

Live Stats
Full Notes (PDF)

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - Truman women's soccer kicks off season No. 30 this Labor Day weekend, as the Bulldogs welcome Minnesota State and Winona (Minn.) State to Kirksville for a pair of games during a three-day stretch.

The purple and white host Minnesota State-Mankato on Friday, Aug. 31 at 4:00 pm before tackling Winona on Sunday, Sept. 2 for a noon kickoff.

The Bulldogs, coming off their 17^th consecutive season with double-digit wins, will look to get the 2012 season off to a solid start when they host a pair of long-ago rivals thanks to a new regional alignment. Truman faces both the Mavericks and Warriors for the first time since the 2006 season – the last time the three programs competed in the same region.

The MIAA, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the Great American Conference now comprise the Central region, meaning a more north/south region for the Bulldogs as opposed to being the northern outliers in recent years with the Lone Star and Heartland leagues.

Truman will be trying to erase a sour ending to the 2011 season that saw the squad drop its final two matches – including an overtime heartbreaker in the MIAA semifinals – and miss the NCAA Div. II tournament for the first time in four seasons. However, the Bulldogs return seven starters from last season, including each of the top three goal-scorers and all four defenders.

Mike Cannon begins his 20^th season as the Bulldog head coach and has a career record of 253-90-37. His detailed bio is available in the full PDF version of the notes on online at TrumanBulldogs.com.

Season Preview:
To watch the 2012 season preview, click the video link below. If the video is not appearing, please access the full weekly notes at TrumanBulldogs.com.

Following the Bulldogs:
Full coverage of Truman women's soccer is available online at TrumanBulldogs.com, including results, upcoming match information and weekly updates.

When available, links to free online live stats are added to the Bulldog women's 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 (@TrumanAthletics). Also be sure to sign up for Text Caster and Newsletter updates on the TrumanBulldogs.com homepage.

Checking Out the Competition:
Minnesota State “Mavericks” (17-3-3, 10-1-2 NSIC in 2011)
Tabbed the favorites in the NSIC for the upcoming 2012 season by league coaches, Minnesota State opens its year in Kirksville following a trip to the second round of the NCAA tournament last year.

The Mavericks are a balanced bunch, returning 10 starters from last season's squad. Senior forward Brittany Henry was selected as the NSIC's preseason offensive player of the year after leading the league with 14 goals and 34 points last year. The Mavericks also got double-digit goals (11) out of senior forward Nicole Dooher, and a combined 18 from junior midfielder Tori Meinhardt, junior forward Courtney Vallarelli and senior midfielder Brianne West.

Along the back line, the Mavs are anchored by sophomore keeper Molly McGough, who started 22 games last season and posted a 0.51 goals-against average.

Peter McGahey enters his fifth season as the Maverick head coach. Friday's match marks the ninth meeting between the squads, with the Bulldogs holding a 6-2 edge in the all-time series. The last meeting between the squads came in the 2006 season opener, a 2-1 Truman win at MSU.

Winona State “Warriors” (14-4-1, 12-1 NSIC in 2011)
Winners of the 2011 NSIC regular season, WSU was pegged second by league coaches in this year's preseason poll after losing its top two goal scorers from a year ago.

After losing a 10-goal and six-goal scorer to graduation, the Warriors will rely on junior Jennifer DeRoo – the NSIC newcomer of the year in 2010 – to anchor the attack. DeRoo played in just seven matches in 2011 but scored 11 goals as a true freshman.

WSU will also be auditioning a new netminder after Anna Belpedio spent 98.6% of the time in goal last year. Sophomore Alexandria Vial (23 minutes in 2011) brings back the only returning experience for the Warriors.

Ali Omar enters his 18^th season along the sidelines as the Warrior head coach. Sunday's match marks the ninth meeting between the squads, with Truman holding a 6-2 edge in the all-time series. The last meeting came in 2006 when the Bulldogs dealt WSU a 2-nil setback in Kirksville.

Hayes, Twellman Eye Moves Up Career Charts:
Seniors Olivia Hayes and Kelsey Twellman begin the 2012 season with their names either already on various Truman career lists or incredibly close to the top-ten.

Hayes enters the year eighth all-time in goals (22), 10^th in points (55) and fifth in shots (178). She is just five goals away from catching Jessica Wiegert (2006-09, 27 goals) for seventh all-time and is three points back of Anna Sonderman (2001-04, 58 points) for ninth.

Meanwhile, Twellman (16) needs just two more assists to catch recent graduate Megan Buri (2008-11, 18 assists) for 10^th and needs seven more shots (143) to knock Wiegert (150 shots) out of the top-ten.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., next weekend for a Friday/Sunday slate against Augustana (S.D.) and Sioux Falls.

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