Men's Soccer 8/28/2012 9:20:00 AM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Men's Soccer Week 1 Notes: Quincy/Missouri S&T

Weekly Schedule:
Saturday, Sept. 1 – at Quincy; 7:30 pm; Quincy, Ill.
Sunday, Sept. 2 – vs. Missouri S&T; 5:00 pm; Quincy, Ill.

FULL NOTES (PDF)

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - The Truman men's soccer team opens the 2012 season with an air of familiarity, heading just 75 miles east for the annual “Quincy Bowl” – a two-day, two-match event hosted by Quincy University.

The Bulldogs will face a pair of long-time arch-rivals at the event, starting on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 7:30 pm against the host Hawks. Truman then takes on Missouri S&T at 5:00 pm on Sunday, Sept. 2.

Coming off a disappointing 4-13 season in 2011, the Bulldogs will look to use the Quincy Bowl as a springboard for success in the 2012 campaign. The Bulldogs are 15-1-3 all-time in 19 matches at the event, including a 1-1 mark last season against the same opponents.

A handful of changes are on tap for the Bulldog men's soccer program in 2012, highlighted by the reformation of the MIAA men's soccer conference after a 14-year absence. Truman is a six-time league champion dating back from when the MIAA sponsored men's soccer as a championship sport both from 1981-88 and again from 1994-98. The Bulldogs captured championships six times in the 13 combined seasons.

Truman will be joined by Fort Hays State, Northeastern State, Lindenwood and Southwest Baptist, as well as affiliate members Upper Iowa, Harding and Southern Nazarene as part of the eight-team league.

In addition, the Bulldogs shift into a new regional alignment for postseason play, as the eight MIAA programs and Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) comprise the nine-team Central region. The top two teams from the region qualify for the NCAA Div. II tournament in November.

The Bulldogs return six starters from last season's squad and gain additional reinforcements from last season's redshirts for 2012. Duke Cochran begins his eighth season as the Bulldog head coach and has a career record of 71-45-11. 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 men'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 men'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:
Quincy “Hawks” (12-5-3, 9-4-2 GLVC in 2011)
Picked to finish second in the 2012 GLVC regular season by league coaches, the Quincy Hawks enter this season with high expectations following a GLVC tournament title in 2011.

The Hawks, despite losing a 16-goal scorer from last year's squad, do return three other potent scorers in sophomore Jordan Roberts (7 goals), sophomore Ethan Venvertloh (7 goals) and senior Jeff Vaninger (6 goals, 4 assists) from 2011. In addition, both ends of the keeper platoon of senior D.J. Lampert (1.10 goals-against average, 12 starts) and sophomore Drew Duncan (1.09 GAA, eight starts) return between the pipes.

The biggest change will be on the sidelines, as long-time head coach Jack Mackenzie turned over the reins for the first time in 43 years to Mike Carpenter, a nine-year assistant with the program. The Saturday night match marks his first as a collegiate head coach.

Truman and Quincy have a long history, with the Bulldogs holding a 12-5-4 edge in the all-time series. Truman defeated QU 2-1 last season at the Bowl behind a 25^th minute goal by Andy Chapman and a game-winning goal in the 31^st minute by Daniel Jack.

Missouri S&T “Miners” (10-6-2, 8-5-2 GLVC in 2011)
The Bulldogs and Miners will play the first match of Day Two at the Bowl, with the Miners entering as the seventh-place team in the GLVC preseason coaches' poll. The Miners return each of their top four scorers, including senior Kyle Schraier who scored a team-high five goals in 2011. Departed, however, is all-American goalkeeper Pat McNamee, who set S&T's school shutout record with 26 during his career.

Joe Ahearn mans the sidelines for the fifth season, as the Bulldogs and Miners will meet for the 36^th time with Truman holding a 22-8-5 lead in the all-time series. S&T opened the 2011 season with a 2-nil victory against the 'Dogs at the QU Bowl, despite Truman out-shooting the Miners 12-10 overall and 5-3 on net.

Men Ranked Fourth in MIAA Preseason Poll
Making its first appearance as a conference-sponsored program since the 1998 season, the Truman men's soccer team was picked fourth in the MIAA preseason poll, as voted on by league coaches.

Head coach Duke Cochran's squad earned 27 points and edged Upper Iowa – an affiliate league member for men's soccer only – by one point for the No. 4 spot. Fort Hays (Kan.) State led all teams with 46 total points and four first-place votes, while both MIAA-newcomers Northeastern (Okla.) State (41 points) and Lindenwood (Mo.) (40) logged a pair of first-place votes each.

Following Truman and UIU, Harding (Ark.) and Southern Nazarene (Okla.) – another pair of affiliate league members in men's soccer – earned 19 and 17 points respectively, while first-year program Southwest Baptist came in last with eight points.

The 2012 campaign marks the third go-around for men's soccer as an official league sport after first appearing from 1981-1988 before returning again from 1994-1998. Truman has won six league titles all-time and has a program conference record of 34-12-6 (.712) in 13 total seasons.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will hit the home pitch for the first time in 2012 on Saturday, Sept. 8 when they host Westminster (Mo.) at 3:00 pm. Truman turns right around to play at Lindenwood-Belleville on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 4:00 pm.

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