Women's Soccer 11/10/2015 2:10:00 PM Tyler Madsen, Athletics Communications

Tournament Notes: Women's Soccer heads back to Louisville

Truman Women's Soccer NCAA Tournament Notes (November 12-14, 2015)
Twitter: @TrumanAthletics || @TrumanWS || #BewareofDog

Match #22: #22 (#3 seed) Truman (14-2-5) vs. (#6 seed) Cedarville (14-4-4)

When: Thursday, November 12, 2015 || 6 p.m. (CST)
Where: Louisville, Ky. || O. B. Frazier Stadium (Bellarmine University)
Live Stats || Live Stats (Media) || Live Video
Stats: Truman | Cedarville

(If Win/Advance via PK's vs. Cedarville)
Match #23: #22 (#3 seed) Truman at #14 (#2 seed) Bellarmine (16-2-2)

When: Saturday, November 14, 2015 || 12:30 p.m. (CST)
Where: Louisville, Ky. || O. B. Frazier Stadium (Bellarmine University)
Live Stats || Live Stats (Media) || Live Video
Stats: Truman || Bellarmine

Welcome to the Dance Floor:
The Truman State University women's soccer team will compete in the NCAA Div. II postseason for the 11^th time, as the Bulldogs take a third trip this season to Louisville, Ky., for the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament this Thursday and Saturday.

The Bulldogs, who captured their first Great Lakes Valley Conference title and 10^th overall in school history last weekend in Louisville, return to the scene in search of two more results in opening weekend action. Truman will face the Great Midwest Athletic Conference champion Yellow Jackets of Cedarville (Ohio) on Thursday (Nov. 12) night at 6 p.m. (CST) on the campus of Bellarmine University. Then, should the Bulldogs defeat the sixth-seeded Yellow Jackets or advance via penalty kicks, the purple and white would take on the weekend host and No. 2 seeded Knights of Bellarmine at 12:30 p.m. (CST) on Saturday, Nov. 14.

While most of the opening weekend sites are playing a Friday/Sunday slate, four sub-regionals nation-wide – including the Bellarmine Midwest sub-regional – will play Thursday/Saturday due to a no-Sunday play policy by one school involved.

Checking Out the Bracket:
Truman, Cedarville, and Bellarmine comprise one of two Midwest sub-regionals, while the second sub-regional will be held on the campus of the region's top seed, Grand Valley State, in Allendale, Mich. Two GLVC programs – No. 4 seed Quincy and No. 5 seed Missouri-St. Louis – will square off on Friday night at 7 p.m. (EST), with the winner set to face the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – and back-to-back NCAA Div. II champion – Lakers of GVSU on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. (EST).

The Midwest region is paired with the Central region in the lower-right quadrant of the bracket, so, in 2015, the two Midwest sub-regional winners (GVSU and BU site hosts) will travel next weekend to the highest-remaining Central regional school to face each other on Friday, Nov. 20, with the winner facing the Central regional champion on Sunday, Nov. 22. The two top seeds and weekend hosts in the Central region are Central Missouri (No. 1 seed; Warrensburg, Mo.) and Minnesota State (No. 2 seed; Mankato, Minn.).

The one team left standing will advance to the NCAA semifinals, which begin on Thursday, Dec. 3, in Pensacola, Fla., on the campus of the University of West Florida.

Last Week:
After opening the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament with a 2-1 victory against No. 7 seed Rockhurst at home on Sunday, Nov. 1, the Bulldogs headed to Louisville for semifinal and final action on the BU campus.

On Friday (Nov. 6) afternoon, the second-seeded Bulldogs and No. 3 seed Quincy played to a 1-1 draw through regulation and two overtimes – sending Truman to a penalty kick shootout for the first time in program history. After falling behind 3-2 through three rounds, the Bulldogs rallied to win 4-3, as GLVC Defensive Player of the Year Jessica Hanson nailed the final shot to send Truman through to the championship.

An upset in the other semifinal saw No. 4 seed Missouri-St. Louis topple No. 1 seed Bellarmine, 2-1, so both the Bulldogs and Tritons met on Sunday (Nov. 8) in search of their first GLVC tournament title. A goal in each half – surrounded by stellar defensive play against the GLVC's top offense – gave the trophy to Truman, as the Bulldogs blanked UMSL by a 2-0 score.

2015 All-GLVC Selections:
Senior Jessica Hanson made history, becoming the women's soccer program's first ever major Great Lakes Valley Conference postseason award winner in being named the league's 2015 Defensive Player of the Year. Fellow senior Alexis Heffernan earned a repeat selection to the first-team, while junior Stephanie Williams and sophomore Katie Mattingly picked up second-team honors.

For Hanson, it marked the end of a continual climb up the all-conference teams, as she was a third-team pick as a sophomore, a second-team honoree as a junior, and a first-team selection this season. Heffernan made a second straight first-team appearance (and third all-conference selection overall), while both Williams and Mattingly made it on to the GLVC all-conference team for the first time.

About the Bulldogs:
Truman comes into the NCAA tournament at 14-2-5 overall, with the 14 wins surpassing last season's total and marking the 21^st straight season that the Bulldog program has reached double-figure victories (the second-longest active streak in NCAA Div. II). Following a loss on Oct. 18 in overtime at Bellarmine, the Bulldogs enter the NCAA tournament on a six-match unbeaten streak (5-0-1).

The Bulldogs have been one of the GLVC's best teams on both ends of the field, with Truman having outscored its opponents 33-13 overall. Eleven different Bulldogs have found pay-dirt this season, led by seven apiece from senior midfielder Alexis Heffernan and sophomore midfielder Allison Lockett. Both Lockett and junior forward Stephanie Williams are tied for second on the team with 15 points – each trailing Heffernan's team-high 17. Junior midfielder Megan Whitehead is the team-leader in assists with seven and ranks fourth on the team with 13 points.

On the defensive side, Mattingly has been one of the league's top keepers nationally, surrendering just a 0.55 goals-against average overall (0.32 in GLVC play) this season. Her back line – comprised of seniors Jessica Hanson and Megan Frkovic, junior Casey Maloney, and sophomore Caity Schmitt – have been crucial this year to the Bulldogs' success as well.

Head coach Mike Cannon – the winningest coach in program history with 304 career victories – is in his 23^rd season at the helm of the Truman women's soccer program in 2015. He is eighth all-time in victories amongst all NCAA-II coaches.

Tourney Tidbits:

The Bulldogs are entering the NCAA postseason for the 11^th time overall (all under Cannon) and have posted an 8-10 all-time record in 18 tournament matches.
Truman will be making its second appearance in three seasons as GLVC members, having most recently lost in the 2013 opening round against Rockhurst on the Grand Valley campus. Prior to that match, the Bulldogs had won at least one match in each of its previous three postseason runs (2008, 2009, and 2010).

Bulldog Tweet-ables (140 characters or less):

#WSOCHistory: This year marks the 32^nd season of WS at Truman. The all-time record is 356-181-59 (.647).
#GLVCStrong: Since joining the GLVC in 2013, Truman has a 31-6-8 (.778) record in regular season league contests.
#HomeSweetHome: The Bulldog women are 181-49-40 all-time at home, including a 24-2-4 mark since the start of 2013.
#SportsmanshipAward: Truman picked up just two yellow cards during the regular season, both coming in the finale.
#MakingAHome: Katie Mattingly has made a home in goal this year, ranking 4^th nationally with her 1,948 total minutes.
#30for30: The 2015 Bulldog roster features four seniors, four juniors, 11 sophomores, four redshirt freshman, and seven true freshmen.
#ShowMeState: Of Truman's 30 players on the opening day roster, 22 hail from the state of Missouri. IL, KS, IA, and NE also repped.
#DontHassletheHeff: SR Heffernan's 10 goals last year the most in a single-year by a TSU player since 2009 (Hayes, 12).
#AlphabetSoup: 17 players return as previous letterwinners for the Bulldogs in 2015.

And Now, Let's Head to Brick Tamland for the Weather:

Thursday – Daytime high of 59 degrees, Sunny, Breezy out of the West (15-20 mph)
Saturday – Daytime high of 56 degrees, Sunny, Winds out of the West (8-12 mph)

Scouting the Weekend Opponent:
Cedarville "Yellow Jackets" (14-4-4, G-MAC tournament champions)

Cedarville is making its first NCAA tournament appearance in school history and enters the tournament as the Midwest region's No. 6 seed. The Yellow Jackets were ranked 9^th in the final set of regional rankings, but bumped Ferris State from the six-line after earning the automatic qualifier for the G-MAC as tournament champions.
The Yellow Jackets boast one of the more bizarre and dangerous stat lines of an NCAA tournament six-seed, as CU has scored 76 goals (3.62/game) this season and given up just 14 (0.67/game). However, 46 of those goals came in six G-MAC contests against Ohio Valley (79 goals allowed), Alderson Broaddus (38 goals allowed), and Salem International (157 goals allowed).
Ranked No. 149 in the online Massey Ratings, Cedarville's top win this season came in non-conference play against Roberts Wesleyan (MR #102).
The 25-player Cedarville roster features 10 seniors, including leader scorer Jacoby Ziegler (19 goals).
John McGililvray has been the head coach of CU since 1998, and he has amassed 161 career victories with the squad both at the NAIA and NCAA Div. II levels.

Bellarmine "Knights" (16-2-2, At-large bid)

Statistically one of the top teams in the GLVC all season long, Bellarmine enters the NCAA Div. II tournament for the fifth time in the last seven seasons after topping the GLVC regular season table.
The Knights started the season with 12 wins in their first 13 matches (12-0-1) before going 4-2-1 down the stretch with three overtime matches. Included in that was a 1-0 home OT win against Truman on Oct. 18.
BU has a plus-20 (30-10) goal differential this season, having been led offensively by GLVC Offensive Player of the Year, junior Mary Beth Gorham's 12 goals and seven assists. Junior Lauren Holder (three goals, eight assists), and sophomore Katie Fernandez (five goals, one assist) rank second and third on the team in points with 14 and 11, respectively.
Sophomore Taylor Smith was the GLVC's first-team goalkeeper, having given up just eight goals in 17 appearances this season (0.53 GAA).
BU (No. 19) and Truman (No. 23) are the two highest-rated GLVC schools per Massey Ratings.
GLVC Coach of the Year Chris Tinius is in his second season with the program.

Up Next:
Should the Bulldogs advance past both matches this weekend, the team would move on to the Midwest regional championship match next weekend at the site of the highest-remaining Central region school.

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Players Mentioned

#5 Megan Frkovic: M; 5' 4"; Senior

#16 Jessica Hanson: D; 5' 6"; Senior

#20 Alexis Heffernan: M; 5' 5"; Senior

#8 Allison Lockett: M; 5' 4"; Sophomore

#2 Casey Maloney: D; 5' 3"; Junior

#25 Katie Mattingly: GK; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#9 Caity Schmitt: D; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#23 Megan Whitehead: M; 5' 4"; Junior

#18 Stephanie Williams: F; 5' 8"; Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

#5 Megan Frkovic
: 5' 4"; Senior
: M

#16 Jessica Hanson
: 5' 6"; Senior
: D

#20 Alexis Heffernan
: 5' 5"; Senior
: M

#8 Allison Lockett
: 5' 4"; Sophomore
: M

#2 Casey Maloney
: 5' 3"; Junior
: D

#25 Katie Mattingly
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: GK

#9 Caity Schmitt
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: D

#23 Megan Whitehead
: 5' 4"; Junior
: M

#18 Stephanie Williams
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Junior
: F