KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Truman State Men's Soccer advanced to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament semifinals for the first time after surviving a penalty-kick shootout against second-seeded Maryville on Sunday. Elsewhere, football rolled past Lincoln behind two interception returns for touchdowns by James Franklin III, volleyball secured its second consecutive GLVC Tournament appearance, women's basketball opened its season with three games at the D2 CCA Midwest Tip-Off Challenge and women's golf closed its fall schedule with a third-place finish.
Men's Soccer Advances Following Dramatic Shootout
Truman State advanced past second-seeded Maryville following a 1-1 draw and a 4-3 victory in the penalty-kick shootout Sunday in St. Louis.
The Bulldogs moved in front less than seven minutes into the match. Roman Scognamillo scored his third goal of the season at the 6:48 mark after receiving a pass from Drake Thompson.
Maryville answered in the 17th minute when Jose Vilela scored off assists from Jan Fulnek and Simon Schlunder. Neither team found another goal during regulation, sending the quarterfinal into overtime.
Maryville took five shots during the first overtime period. Truman goalkeeper Owen Robben saved two attempts, while the other three were off target. Neither team recorded a shot during the second overtime period, leaving the match tied after 110 minutes.
Robben finished with five saves while helping the Bulldogs withstand a 20-9 Maryville advantage in shots and a 9-4 difference in corner kicks. Truman placed four of its nine attempts on goal.
With the match still tied, the Bulldogs and Saints moved to penalty kicks.
Maryville's Julian Stoecker converted the opening attempt before Jacob Panagos answered for Truman. Jan Fulnek then missed Maryville's second kick, and Slayton Spencer converted to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 advantage.
Vilela scored for Maryville in the third round, but Tyler Bouckaert responded for Truman. Alex Smeins kept the Saints alive by making their fourth attempt before Liam Snowball converted to put the Bulldogs ahead 4-3.
Paulo Junior Sousa Rodrigues took Maryville's fifth attempt and missed, ending the shootout without Truman needing to take its final kick.
The result sends Truman to the GLVC Tournament semifinals for the first time in program history. The Bulldogs will face Missouri-St. Louis at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the Lake Country Soccer Complex in Springfield, Missouri. UMSL advanced with a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Drury.
Franklin's Two Pick-Sixes Highlight Football Victory
Truman Football scored 41 unanswered points to defeat Lincoln 48-3 on Saturday afternoon at Stokes Stadium.
Madden Irving opened the scoring with a 39-yard touchdown run on Truman's first possession. After Lincoln answered with a field goal, Irving scored from one yard out early in the second quarter to give the Bulldogs a 13-3 advantage.
The Truman defense then broke the game open.
James Franklin III intercepted Lincoln on consecutive possessions and returned both passes for touchdowns. His first interception return covered 37 yards with 7:08 remaining in the second quarter. Exactly one minute later, Franklin intercepted another pass and returned it 39 yards for his second touchdown.
The two defensive scores extended Truman's lead from 13-3 to 27-3 in only 60 seconds. Franklin finished with two interceptions, 76 return yards and three solo tackles.
Kel Battle caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Hair during the third quarter. Hair connected with Vance Herring for a 15-yard score in the fourth before Askia Bullie completed the scoring with a 44-yard touchdown run.
Irving led the rushing attack with 110 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Truman finished with 246 rushing yards and three touchdowns while throwing for 139 yards and two scores.
The Bulldog defense limited Lincoln to 239 total yards and forced four turnovers. Truman intercepted two passes, recovered two fumbles and recorded five sacks.
Truman improved to 5-4 overall and 5-1 in GLVC play with its third consecutive victory.
The win sets up a first-place showdown next Saturday at William Jewell. The Bulldogs and Cardinals enter the final two weeks of the regular season tied atop the GLVC standings.
Volleyball Secures GLVC Tournament Berth
Truman Volleyball earned its first 2-0 GLVC weekend of the season, sweeping Illinois Springfield on Thursday before defeating Quincy in four sets on Senior Night.
The two victories improved Truman to 13-12 overall and 7-5 in conference play and secured the Bulldogs' second consecutive trip to the GLVC Tournament.
Bulldogs Sweep Illinois Springfield
Truman opened the weekend with a 25-18, 25-13, 25-17 victory over Illinois Springfield inside Pershing Arena.
The Bulldogs held the Prairie Stars to a .068 hitting percentage while finishing with advantages in kills, service aces, blocks and digs. Truman recorded 36 kills, seven aces, eight blocks and 64 digs during the three-set victory.
Autumn Erickson led the attack with 11 kills on 21 attempts without committing an error. She finished with a .524 hitting percentage and added five blocks and one ace.
Jessie Julius contributed seven kills while hitting .353. Avery Poppe recorded five service aces and 22 digs, Tori Creason distributed 29 assists and Addy Janssen added 12 digs.
Truman Celebrates Seniors With Victory Over Quincy
The Bulldogs completed the weekend with a 25-21, 25-14, 23-25, 25-20 victory over Quincy on Saturday.
Before the match, Truman recognized seniors Tori Creason, Jessie Julius and Elise Gibson for their contributions to the program.
Truman hit .271 with 62 kills and 10 service aces. The Bulldogs also collected 83 digs and eight blocks while holding Quincy to a .179 hitting percentage.
Erickson finished with a match-high 17 kills and six blocks. Julius recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 15 digs, while Laci Neece added 13 kills and 18 digs.
Creason directed the offense with 53 assists and two aces. Janssen led the back-row defense with 26 digs, and Poppe served four aces.
The victory punched Truman's ticket to the conference tournament and kept the Bulldogs in position to earn the seventh seed entering the final regular-season match.
Women's Basketball Opens Season at Midwest Tip-Off Challenge
Truman Women's Basketball opened its season with three games in three days at the D2 CCA Midwest Tip-Off Challenge in Wisconsin Dells.
The Bulldogs defeated Lake Superior State on Friday before falling to Northern Michigan on Saturday and top-ranked Grand Valley State on Sunday.
Truman Defeats Lake Superior State in Opener
The Bulldogs began the season with a 68-61 victory over Lake Superior State on Friday.
The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 47 before Truman outscored the Lakers 21-14 over the final 10 minutes. The Bulldogs collected 17 offensive rebounds, forced 22 turnovers and scored 22 points off those takeaways.
Lexie White led Truman with 19 points and nine rebounds. Mariann Blass finished with 14 points and five rebounds, while Emajin McCallop contributed nine points, eight rebounds and five steals.
Morgan Miller added nine points and two steals as Truman finished with 12 steals as a team.
Northern Michigan Holds Off Bulldogs
Truman made a late push Saturday but fell 79-72 to Northern Michigan.
The Bulldogs entered the fourth quarter trailing 61-52 and outscored the Wildcats 20-18 during the final period. Truman connected on 10 three-pointers and made 18 free throws but could not overcome Northern Michigan's earlier advantage.
Miller led the Bulldogs with 22 points, four three-pointers, four assists and four rebounds. White scored 17 points, while Sarah Helm added 17 points and made four shots from behind the arc in her second game as a Bulldog.
Braylee Rogers finished with seven rebounds and four assists.
Top-Ranked Grand Valley State Pulls Away
Truman concluded the tournament Sunday with a 94-67 loss to No. 1 Grand Valley State.
The Lakers built a 26-9 lead after the opening quarter and extended the margin to 48-26 at halftime. Truman continued competing throughout the second half, scoring 21 points in the third quarter and 20 in the fourth.
White led Truman with 15 points. Blass finished with 11 points and made three three-pointers, while McCallop and Helm each scored 10. McCallop also recorded three steals.
The Bulldogs finished the opening weekend with a 1-2 record. They will have next week off before beginning the GMAC/GLVC Crossover on Nov. 13.
Women's Golf Closes Fall With Third-Place Finish
Truman Women's Golf finished third among seven teams at the Columbia College Fall Invitational to close the fall portion of its schedule.
The Bulldogs recorded a two-round team score of 679, finishing 103 strokes over par. Truman posted a 340 during the opening round before improving by one stroke with a final-round 339.
Lauren Prys led Truman with a ninth-place individual finish at 21-over following rounds of 83 and 82.
Karmen Hayslett tied for 12th at 24-over after posting consecutive rounds of 84. Lily Seydel tied for 16th at 29-over, while DeLainie Hedger placed 23rd at 32-over. Madalyn Breckenridge tied for 24th at 35-over.
Truman completed the fall with three top-half team finishes across its four tournaments.
Coming Up for the Bulldogs
Men's Soccer
Truman will face Missouri-St. Louis in the GLVC Tournament semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the Lake Country Soccer Complex in Springfield, Missouri. The winner will advance to Sunday's conference championship match.
Men's Soccer Schedule
Men's Basketball
The Bulldogs will play an exhibition at Missouri State on Friday, Nov. 6, in Springfield. The start time is currently listed as TBA.
Men's Basketball Schedule
Cross Country
The Truman men's and women's cross country teams will compete at the GLVC Championships on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Springfield, Missouri. The men's race begins at 9 a.m., followed by the women at 10 a.m.
Men's Cross Country Schedule | Women's Cross Country Schedule
Swimming
Truman's men's and women's swimming teams travel to Missouri-St. Louis for a dual meet at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Men's Swimming Schedule | Women's Swimming Schedule
Football
Truman travels to William Jewell for a first-place GLVC matchup at 3 p.m. Saturday in Liberty, Missouri. The Bulldogs and Cardinals enter the game tied atop the conference standings with 5-1 league records.
Football Schedule
Volleyball
The Bulldogs conclude the regular season at Upper Iowa at 3 p.m. Saturday in Fayette, Iowa. Truman enters the match seventh in the GLVC standings at 7-5, while Upper Iowa is eighth at 6-6. The result will determine which team receives the seventh seed and which receives the eighth seed in the GLVC Tournament.
Volleyball Schedule
Women's Basketball
Truman will be off next week before returning for the GMAC/GLVC Crossover. The Bulldogs face Cedarville at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, before playing host Ursuline at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in Pepper Pike, Ohio.
Women's Basketball Schedule
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