Men's Soccer 9/12/2012 1:11:00 PM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Men's Soccer Week 3 Notes: at Upper Iowa

Weekly Schedule:
Friday, Sept. 14 – at Upper Iowa – 4:00 pm – Fayette, Iowa
Live Stats

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - For the first time since the 1998 season, the Truman men's soccer team will play an MIAA match, as the Bulldogs travel to Upper Iowa University this Friday (Sept. 14) for a 4:00 pm kickoff in its lone match this week.

The Bulldogs, coming off a 2-0 weekend on Sept. 8-9 after picking up a 3-1 home win against Westminster (Mo.) and a 5-1 road win at Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.), travel to Fayette, Iowa, to battle the UIU Peacocks (1-2) at Pattison Field. The MIAA reinstated men's soccer as a conference sport this season, meaning five full-time MIAA schools – Truman, Fort Hays, Northeastern State, Lindenwood and Southwest Baptist – along with three affiliate members – Upper Iowa, Harding (Ark.) and Southern Nazarene (Okla.) – will compete for the first league title in 14 years.

The 10-match 2012 schedule begins Friday for the Bulldogs, who are six-time MIAA champions in 13 total seasons the sport was sponsored by the conference (1981-88, 1994-98). All-time, the Bulldogs are 34-12-6 (.712) in conference matches, having posted no worse than a second-place finish in all but the first two seasons of league existence.

After dropping a pair of close games against GLVC members Quincy (Ill.) and Missouri S&T during the Labor Day weekend, the Bulldogs rebounded with a flurry of goals last weekend. Junior defender Matt Langley scored a goal in both contests, while four other Bulldogs found pay-dirt in a rout of LW-Belleville on Sunday (Sept. 9). The Bulldogs also benefited from a pair of own goals from Westminster on Saturday, with the only two goals given up being taken from the penalty spot.

Langley's three goals on the season lead all Bulldogs, while a pair of seniors – Charlie Backus and Kyle Menges – have a pair of assists each. Nick Wallner and Drew Garrone have split starts in net, with Wallner currently holding a 1.24 goals-against average in 219 minutes of action. Both have made seven saves during their time spent between the pipes.

Duke Cochran is in his eighth season at the helm of the Bulldog men's soccer program and has a career record of 73-47-11 (.599). His full bio is available either online at TrumanBulldogs.com or in the full PDF weekly notes.

Weekly Recap with Coach Cochran:
To watch this week's weekly recap with coach Duke Cochran, 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.

Quick Look Around the League:
Through the first two weeks of the regular season, the MIAA has seen mixed results amongst its eight members as each team begins league play this weekend. Fort Hays State, the preseason favorite by league coaches, has jumped to No. 13 in the NSCAA top-25 coaches' poll thanks to a fast 4-0 start to the 2012 campaign.

Sliding in behind the Tigers is Northeastern State (3-1) and Harding (2-1), who both have just one loss on the season, while Lindenwood (2-1-1) and Truman (2-2) sit a close fourth and fifth.

Upper Iowa (1-2) and Southwest Baptist (1-3) are just a single win away from joining the middle pack, while Southern Nazarene (0-5) is still in search of its first win of the year.

The eight MIAA teams are joined by Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) (3-3) to comprise the NCAA Div. II Central region, with the top two teams at the end of the season qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

Chapman Auditions for “Top Shot”:
Senior forward Andy Chapman is just nine shots away from reaching Truman's all-time top ten in total shots, as his 143 total attempts put him just nine behind a two-way tie for ninth between Brian Taylor (1987-90) and Matt Kimball (2007-10).

From there, he has a chance to move up the charts quickly, as 204 is currently second-place all-time (Martin Clayes, 2002-05).

'Dogs Remind of Winning Ways:
Last weekend, Truman took on a pair of head coaches that experienced high levels of success during their times on the pitch in Kirksville. On Saturday, the Bulldogs handed Westminster head coach Martin Clayes a 3-1 loss, while on Sunday, the 'Dogs dispatched of Dan Hogan's LW-Belleville Lynx 5-1.

Clayes was a first-team NSCAA all-American in 2005 after leading the Bulldogs to an NCAA tournament appearance and handing out 16 assists. He also finished in Truman's top-ten in goals (30), assists (38), points (98) and shots (204). Meanwhile, Hogan was named team MVP in 1984 and was an NSCAA all-region pick as a defender in 1983.

Checking Out the Competition:
Upper Iowa “Peacocks” (1-2)
Upper Iowa enters this week with a 1-2 record, having been shutout both by Metro (Colo.) State and Regis (Colo.) on opening weekend before rebounding with a 2-1 double OT win at Mount Mercy (Iowa) on Sept. 5. The Peacocks travel to Div. III Viterbo (Wis.) on Wednesday before hosting Truman on Friday.

Rafael Pedroso and Jason Bishop are responsible for both of UIU's goals this season, although the Peacocks have been out-shot 69-22 through three matches. Jordan Bell has been the team's netminder, putting up a 1.93 goals-against average and making 24 saves (.800 percentage) in more than 280 minutes of action.

Truman and Upper Iowa will be meeting for the 10^th time, with the Bulldogs holding a 7-2 lead in the all-time series. The Peacocks got on the board with two wins last season, including a 1-0 win in Fayette on Sept. 25, 2011.

Brian Bahl is in his sixth season as the program's head coach.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs play two road matches next weekend, traveling to Lindenwood on Thursday (Sept. 20) for a 7:30 pm kickoff before heading to Southwest Baptist on Saturday (Sept. 22) for a 2:00 pm start.

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