reached a milestone last Friday night at Washburn, earning his 100th victory as UCM's soccer coach.
Southwest Baptist: The Jennies lead the all-time series with the Bearcats 22-8-2. The two teams last played to a 2-2 tie in 2OT on October 30, 2012 in Warrensburg. UCM won last season's first meeting, 2-1 on September 28.
East Central: Central Missouri leads the all-time series 1-0-0. Last season, the Jennies won the inaugural meeting, shutting out the Tigers, 3-0 on October 7 in Ada, Okla.
The Coaches...
Rob Podeyn: Rob Podeyn became the eighth head coach in SBU history when he accepted the position in May 2009. He joined the Bearcats after serving as director of soccer operations, assistant sports information director and head women's soccer coach at Northwood University, positions he held since 2006.
In his second season as head coach, Podeyn lead the Bearcats to a 6-9-3 record including a victory over nationally ranked Quincy, and a legitimate shot at qualifying for Nationals before injuries hit the Bearcats. In 2009, the Bearcats were right in the thick of things finishing 7-9-3 on the season. Known for his offensive teams, the Bearcats were no different as they finished in the top four of every offensive category since Podeyn took the head coaching position.
Podeyn is a 1990 graduate of Dowling College in Oakdale, New York, where he obtained a bachelor of arts degree in English. He later earned a master's degree in athletics and activities administration from William Woods University in 2006.
Podeyn is happily married to Sondra, his wife of 21 years. They have two sons: Roby, 17, and Matthew, 14.
Riley Bailey: Bailey enters his fifth season as the head coach of the East Central University women's soccer program. Bailey led the Lady Tigers to Great American Conference regular season and postseason tournament championships in 2011 and to the GAC semifinals in 2012.
ECU's 12-6-1 record in 2011 was among the best in school history, as Bailey was named GAC Coach of the Year. Three of his players were named to the All-GAC First Team while five more were placed on the second team in 2011.
Bailey has a 27-36-9 record through four seasons as Lady Tiger head coach after taking over the duties from his sister Heather Beam in 2009.
Prior to his head coaching duties at ECU, Bailey spent eight seasons as the Lady Tigers assistant coach, 1998-2000 and 2004-08.
The native of Allen, Texas is licensed through the United States Soccer Federation and holds several NSCAA coaching diplomas. He received his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma Christian University (where he was a member of the men's soccer team) in 1995 and his masters from ECU in 1999.
Five-time MIAA Coach of the Year,
Lewis Theobald is in his seventh season as head coach at Central Missouri with a stunning 100-19-15 record, becoming the all-time winningest coach in Jennies soccer history during the 2012 season. He earned his 100th victory as head coach of the UCM program on Friday, September 27 at Washburn.
He recorded more wins in his first three seasons than any other coach in school history. He was the first assistant at Division I Indiana State, where he was the lead recruiter before coming to UCM.
He is a 1999 graduate of the University of Kansas.
Scouting the week's competition...
Southwest Baptist: The Southwest Baptist Bearcats posted a 1-2 record on the road last week against William Jewell College, Emporia State and Washburn. After defeating William Jewell College, 4-3, the Bearcats were held to just one goal over the next two games against the Hornets and Ichabods.
Offensively, sophomore forward Kate Jamison leads the team in goals with five and is tied for the team lead with two assists.
Defensively, senior goalkeeper Paige Hemphill has allowed 13 goals and made 44 saves in all 830 minutes this season.
East Central University: The Tigers won their only game last week against Northwestern Oklahoma State by a 2-0 tally on September 27. Their game on Sunday, September 29 with Southwestern Oklahoma State was postponed.
Offensively, junior forward Kourtney Holleman leads to Tigers in goals (3) and points (6). Senior midfielder Ashley Bradford is first in shot attempts with 24 and shots on-goal with 12.
Defensively, East Central employs three goalkeepers in Taylor Lowe, Lexi Hurley and Breena Jewell. Hurley is first with 28 saves, while allowing eight scores. Lowe has saved 14 shots while yielding five goals and Jewell has four saves and two goals allowed in just 30:22 of action. East Central University plays on Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. Southern Nazarene before making the trip to Warrensburg.
Eldridge Honored ...
Jennies freshman defender
Emily Eldridge was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. The Bucyrus, Kan. native started on a defense that did not allow a goal against Washburn and Emporia State on the road last week, giving Central Missouri five shutouts on the season.
Reaching the Century Mark...
Jennies head coach
Lewis Theobald won his 100th game at Central Missouri last Friday night at Washburn (3-0 victory).
Staying Hot...
Central Missouri has not lost a game in its last six contests (5-0-1), good for the longest current streak in the MIAA. Lindenwood currently has not been defeated in its last five games (5-0-0).
Stopping their opponents...
The Jennies shut out both Washburn and Emporia State last week, placing them in a three-way tie for first in the MIAA with six goals allowed on the season (0.75 per game).
Dynamic Duo...
The Jennies goalkeepers,
Morgan Hartzler and
Jessica Grindstaff, have combined for five shutouts in the first eight games of 2013, tied for first in the MIAA.
Piling up the Points...
After scoring three goals last week, the Jennies are now third in the conference with an average of 2.00 goals per game (behind Northeastern State - 2.12 and Lindenwood - 2.11). on the season and are tied for fifth with 40 points. The Jennies' nine goals and 21 points in conference competition are the most among MIAA schools.
Playing Clean...
Through six games, the Jennies have committed just 39 fouls, the second-lowest total behind Missouri Southern among all MIAA schools (4.88 per game).
Jennies Soccer (By the numbers)...
When matched up against Missouri schools, UCM is 85-50-12 all-time. The Jennies are 38-27-10 when playing a Missouri school on the road.
When matched up against Oklahoma schools, UCM is 9-3-3 all-time. The Jennies are 3-1-2 when playing an Oklahoma school in Warrensburg.
