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Truman State University Athletics

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Tim Barcus - University Photographer

Women's Soccer Tyler Madsen, AMR Assistant Director

Women's Soccer Notes: Truman Travels North for Opening Weekend

Truman Women's Soccer Weekly Notes (Matches 1-2)
Full Notes (PDF)
 
Match 1:
Truman (12-6-1 record in 2012) at #6 Minnesota State-Mankato (17-1-5 record in 2012)
Date: Friday, September 6 (4:00 PM CDT)
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/mnsu/wsoc/
Series Record: Truman leads, 6-3.
Last Meeting: MSU-Mankato won, 2-1, on Aug. 31, 2012 in Kirksville, Mo.
 
Match 2:
Truman at Winona State (16-5 record in 2012)
Date: Sunday, September 8 (12:00 PM CDT)
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/winona/wsoc/xlive.htm
Series Record: Truman leads, 9-2.
Last Meeting: Truman won, 2-0, on Sept. 2, 2012 in Kirksville, Mo.
 
Social Media: @TrumanAthletics || #TSUGameDay || @TrumanWS
 
Opening Kickoff:
Year number 31 of women's soccer on the Truman State University campus gets underway this weekend, as the Bulldogs travel to Minnesota for a pair of non-conference matches at No. 6 Minnesota State-Mankato (Friday, 4 p.m.) and Winona State (Sunday, noon).
 
The Bulldogs are entering the inaugural season of Great Lakes Valley Conference action after having recorded a 12-6-1 mark in 2012 during the team's final year of MIAA play. Truman returns a solid core from last season's squad, bringing back seven starters and 17 letterwinners for the 2013 campaign. Senior forward Trisha Shoemaker, who led the Bulldogs with nine goals last season, paces the front line, while all-MIAA first-team defender Kelsey Ridgway and honorable mention all-conference keeper Emily Bozdeck will look to keep opponents off the scoreboard.
 
As per usual for head coach Mike Cannon, the longest-tenured women's soccer head coach in Bulldog history scheduled a pair of challenging contests at the outset of the season. After hosting the top two programs from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to open the 2012 season, the Bulldogs make the return trip in 2013 and will have their hands full with a pair of solid squads. The sixth-ranked Mavericks made a deep run in the NCAA postseason last year, winning the NSIC in the process, while Winona State was the preseason favorite for the league this time around after winning 16 games last year.
 
Truman earned a split against the Minnesota squads last season, falling 2-1 to MSU-M before rebounding with a 2-0 shutout of WSU at the Bulldog Soccer Pitch.
 
Cannon returns for his 21st season on the sidelines, having compiled a 265-96-38 all-time record with the program. He is the seventh winningest active coach in NCAA-II history and has led the 'Dogs to nine postseason appearances.
 
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-match 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.
 
Pick-6 – Dogs Predicted for Top-Half Finish in First League Season:
The Bulldogs were picked to finish sixth in its first season of Great Lakes Valley Conference action, as announced on August 21st by the league office.
 
The Bulldogs earned 172 total points to come in just outside the top-five of the coaches' preseason selections, as defending conference champion Quincy was picked to successfully defend its 2012 title by garnering 10 of the 16 first-place votes and totaling 233 points.
 
William Jewell and Wisconsin-Parkside were chosen second and third, respectively, while Bellarmine and Rockhurst rounded out the top five.
 
Setting a New Tone:
Truman will be out to snap a three-year draught in season-opening matches, having lost three-straight one-goal games in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The last Bulldog win in a season-opener came in 2009, when Truman took down Drury 2-0.
 
The Bulldogs have not played a true road game for a season-opener since the 2007 season, falling 2-0 at St. Edward's (Texas). Truman's last victory in a true road opener came against Minnesota State-Mankato in the 2006 season, when the 'Dogs downed the Mavericks 2-1.
 
Under Cannon, Truman is 10-9-1 in season-opening matches.
 
High Caliber Competition at Home:
Every NCAA tournament team out of the GLVC last season will have to step onto the pitch in Kirksville this season, as UW-Parkside (Sept. 22), Rockhurst (Oct. 4), William Jewell (Oct. 6), Bellarmine (Oct. 18) and Quincy (Oct. 30) will all visit the Truman Soccer Park in 2013.
 
Other home dates include Lewis (Sept. 20) and McKendree (Oct. 20), along with former MIAA foe Missouri Western (Sept. 17).
 
Score First, Lead Last:
Last season, the Bulldogs picked up a win in 11 out of 13 matches in which the team netted the first goal. In addition, when the team put early pressure on an opponent by scoring the first 20 minutes of a match, the Bulldogs went 5-2 in those seven instances.
 
New League Awaits Truman in 2013:
It's safe to say that the Great Lakes Valley Conference women's soccer league kicked it up a notch with the revolving door of conference realignment in the summer of 2013.
 
Exiting to the GMAC is Kentucky Wesleyan, a program with 14 total conference victories in the past 13 seasons. Taking its place? A program with nine MIAA championships and nine NCAA tournament appearances in the past 14 seasons, not to mention 19 straight winning seasons.
 
Looking at all-time historical numbers, the Bulldog women have a combined 82-42-10 record all-time against current GLVC opponents, with most of its history coming against Missouri S&T (20-6-2), Missouri-St. Louis (7-8-2) and Quincy (9-10-2).
 
However, fans will have to look back to 2004 to find a GLVC opponent not named Quincy or Drury on the Bulldog schedule, as Truman has gone 2-3-1 combined against the Lady Hawks and Panthers since 2007. The Bulldogs swept Missouri S&T (then Missouri-Rolla, as members of the MIAA) in 2004 following a 3-0 season against current GLVC programs in 2003.
 
All GLVC teams will play 15 league matches in a single round-robin format, with the overall top team by percentage at the end of the season earning champion status. The top eight teams qualify for the conference tournament, with the top four seeds earning a home quarterfinal match on Sunday, November 3. The four advancing teams then travel to the top remaining seed for the conference semifinals and championship the following weekend, with the league's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament handed out on Sunday, November 10.
 
The Bulldogs now compete in the Midwest region, with the GLVC, GLIAC and Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) combining to compete for regional bids. Both the GLVC and GLIAC receive an automatic berth for its conference champion, while the GMAC will not for the next two seasons due to its NCAA-II provisional status.
 
Up Next:
The women's soccer program will be the first Truman program to ever play a GLVC game, beginning with next Friday's doubleheader against Maryville (Mo.) University. The Bulldogs host the Saints at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, before traveling to Missouri-St. Louis on Sunday, Sept. 15 for a 12:00 p.m. showdown with the Tritons.

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