Truman Women's Soccer Weekend Notes (September 4-6, 2015)
Game #1: Ferris State (0-0-0, 0-0-0 GLIAC) at Truman (0-0-0, 0-0-0 GLVC)
When: Friday, September 4, 2015 || 2 p.m. (CT)
Where: Kirksville, Mo. || Bulldog Soccer Park
Live Stream: None Available
Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/truman/wsoc/
Stats: Truman (not available yet) | GLVC (not available yet)
Twitter: @TrumanAthletics || @TrumanGameday || @TrumanWS || #BewareofDog
Game #2: Grand Valley State (#1 NSCAA) (0-0-0, 0-0-0 GLIAC) at Truman (0-0-0, 0-0-0 GLVC)
When: Sunday, September 6, 2015 || 12 p.m. (CT)
Where: Kirksville, Mo. || Bulldog Soccer Park
Live Stream: None Available
Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/truman/wsoc/
Stats: Truman (not available yet) | GLVC (not available yet)
Twitter: @TrumanAthletics || @TrumanGameday || @TrumanWS || #BewareofDog
A First Look:
The 32nd season of Truman State University women's soccer kicks off this weekend with a pair of important regional contests, pitting the Bulldogs in a pair of re-matches from last year's opening weekend against two top-tier GLIAC programs.
Truman, coming off a 13-5-2 season in 2014, will welcome both Ferris (Mich.) State (Friday, 2 p.m.) and No. 1 Grand Valley (Mich.) State (Sunday, 12 p.m.) to the Bulldog Soccer Park, where the purple and white look to extend a 12-match unbeaten streak dating back to October 2013. Last year, Truman defeated FSU in the season-opener by a 2-0 score before falling to GVSU by a 3-0 margin.
This year's Bulldog bunch brings back eight starters from last season's unit, including two-time all-region midfielder Alexis Heffernan and all-conference defender Jessica Hanson. Those two, along with midfielder Megan Frkovic, comprise a small three-member senior class in 2015; however, the experience is great with 170 combined games between the trio. Overall, the Bulldogs bring back 80% of its offense from a year ago and both returning goalkeepers, as sophomores Katie Mattingly and Nicole Sparks each saw significant time between the pipes to a tune of 0.68 goals-against average and 11 shutouts.
Head coach Mike Cannon – the winningest coach in program history with 290 career victories – begins his 23rd season at the helm of the Truman women's soccer program in 2015. He is seventh all-time in victories amongst all NCAA-II coaches.
Bulldog Tweet-ables (140 characters or less):- #WSOCHistory: This weekend starts the 32nd season of WS at Truman. The all-time record is 342-179-54 (.642).
- #GLVCStrong: The Bulldogs have won 10 games each of their first two seasons of #GLVCws play, posting a .750 win%.
- #FastStarts: Last year, the Bulldogs out-scored their opponents 14-7 in the first half, out-shooting foes 129-76.
- #30for30: The 2015 Bulldog roster features three seniors, five 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:- Friday at 2 p.m. – 90 degrees (feels like 94), Clear/Sunny, 9 mph S
- Sunday at 12 p.m. – 88 degrees (feels like 92), Clear/Sunny, 10 mph SSW
Home Sweet Home:
The Bulldogs will be kicking off the regular season at home for the first time since the 2012 season, when that year's squad split with Minnesota State and Winona (Minn.) State on Aug. 31 and Sept. 2. This will be just the fourth time since 2002 that the purple and white have started the season at home.
Truman went a perfect 9-0 at home a season ago and has not dropped a decision at the Bulldog Soccer Park since a 1-0 setback to Bellarmine on Oct. 18, 2013. During the past two seasons, the Bulldogs are 16-1-2 at home.
Bulldogs Picked Third in GLVC Preseason Poll:
The Bulldog women's soccer team was picked to once again be amongst the conference elite on Thursday, as Truman earned three first-place votes and landed third in the 2015 Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason coaches' poll.
Truman, having just completed its 20th straight 10-win season in 2014, earned 188 total points in the 16-team poll to land between preseason-2nd place Rockhurst (196 points) and preseason-4th place UW-Parkside (184 points, four first-place votes). Bellarmine was the league's favorite for the coming season, picking up 219 total points and nine first-place votes.
Quincy (170), Drury (168), Lewis (133), and Missouri S&T (116) rounded out the top-half, while Missouri-St. Louis (108) also topped the century mark in points to place ninth. McKendree (94) held 10th, while two programs – Maryville and William Jewell – each finished with 80 points to share 11thplace. Indianapolis (76), Southern Indiana (61), Illinois Springfield (32), and Saint Joseph's (15) rounded out the poll.
The top eight teams will qualify for the 2015 post-season tournament, to be held Nov. 1 (quarterfinals) and Nov. 6-8 (semifinals/final) on campus sites.
Scouting the Opponents:
Two of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's top teams will stop in Kirksville this weekend, as the Bulldogs host another set of Bulldogs and the two-time defending champions at Soccer Park.
On Friday, Ferris State and Truman open the season against each other for the second straight year, as the FSU Bulldogs come in after being picked fifth in the GLIAC preseason poll. Last year's leading scorer returns in senior forward and All-GLIAC pick Casey Shauman, who notched nine goals and six assists for a team-high 24 points. Ferris State went 6-10-2 a year ago, and Andy McCaslin is back for this third year at the helm of the Ferris program.
Truman jumped all over Ferris State last season, as Alexis Heffernan scored goals in the ninth and 16th minutes to push the purple Bulldogs to a 2-0 lead on the red Bulldogs. A 2-hour, 5-minute weather delay halted action, before Truman put the finishing touches on the shutout.
Then, on Sunday, the Bulldogs bring in the 2013 and 2014 NCAA-II national champion Lakers of Grand Valley. The preseason-No. 1 pick in the NSCAA top-25 coaches' poll, GVSU return three of its top goal scorers from last year, including sophomore forward Gabriella Mencotti (16 goals). Another returning player is junior Marti Corby, the reigning NSCAA Player of the Year.
GVSU dealt Truman a 3-0 loss last season in Allendale, Mich., as the Lakers put home goals in the sixth, 40th, and 68th minutes.
Huyck to the Hall:
Emily Huyck will join the Truman Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2015 induction class this fall.
Huyck was a two-time Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Most Valuable Player and a three-time first team all-conference goalkeeper for the Bulldogs from 1998-2001. She set a school record 43 shutouts and currently has the ninth longest shutout streak in Division II at 955:21. She is one of only three keepers in the top 20 with two shutout streaks over 850 minutes long.
Huyck is 13th in Division II in career goals against average, first in the MIAA at 0.49 and shares the conference record with fewest goals allowed in a season with seven. She was 21-1 in the first three years of women's soccer in the MIAA while the Bulldogs began a dynasty of winning seven straight league titles from 1999 to 2005.
During her senior season in 2001, Huyck became the first keeper in Truman history to earn all-America honors as she garnered National Soccer Coaches Association of America second-team honors while leading the Bulldogs to an 18-3 record and the NCAA National Quarterfinals.
Huyck went into the coaching ranks as she was a student-assistant for the MIAA champion and NCAA Tournament bound Bulldogs in 2002. Then while pursuing her master's degree at the Minnesota State University in Mankato, Huyck was a graduate assistant in 2004.
Huyck returned to Truman as a full time assistant coach in 2005. She is currently the Director of the Montessori Co-op School in Omaha, Neb., and continues her involvement with soccer by coaching various ages at the club level and runs her own introduction to soccer/skills camp for younger children.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs return to the field next Friday and Sunday to open Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a split-travel weekend. Truman will host Maryville at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, before visiting Missouri-St. Louis on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 12 p.m.
