The week ahead... The No. 21 Central Missouri Jennies soccer team (2-0) hits the road for the first time this season after opening the 2014 campaign with back-to-back wins against Augustana College and No. 8 Minnesota-Duluth last weekend in Warrensburg. The Jens made their first appearance in the NSCAA Division II Coaches Poll this season on Tuesday.
UCM will play two of three consecutive road games this week against the University of Mary Thursday, Sept. 11 and Minot State on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. A win against the Marauders would give the Jens their second 3-0 start in three years (2012), while two victories this week would put them at 4-0 for the first time since the 2010 season.
Last week, sophomore forward
Hannah Pyle led the team with five points (goal, three assists). Two of the Lenexa, Kansas native's three assists led to game-winning goals for the Jennies. Pyle entered the week tied for most assists in the MIAA and is tied for second with five points.
Freshman goalkeeper
Ana Dilkes started her collegiate career off with a bang, delivering two shutouts last week, saving all seven shots she faced. The last time the Jennies opened up the season with back-to-back shutout performances was 2005 under then-head coach Geoff Vandeusen.
Series History...University of Mary: The Jennies lead the all-time series, 3-0-0. The two teams met last season on Sept. 12 with UCM coming out on top, 5-2.
Minot State: UCM holds a 1-0-1 lead over the Beavers. The Jennies won last year's matchup, 2-0 on Sept. 14 in Warrensburg.
The Coaches...Sarah McNulty (University of Mary): In her first season as the Marauders head coach, the Marauders continued their winning ways, finishing 10-8 overall and 10-5 in the Northern Sun. U-Mary ran off six straight wins to close the regular season and captured fifth overall in the NSIC and qualify for the league postseason tournament. The Marauders have advanced to the conference tournament every year since joining the NSIC in 2006.
Several players won honors in 2012. Earning All-NSIC honors was Michelle Jones (1st team), Alex Bachman-Williams (2nd) and Ashley Akers (honorable mention). Jones and Bachman-Williams also were second team NSCAA all-region selections and Bachman-Williams also earned Daktronics all-region second team honors.
McNulty is a 2005 graduate of U-Mary with a secondary education degree in biology. She earned her USSF "A" license in 2009.
Jason Spain (Minot State ): Jason Spain is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Minot State University women's soccer program in the fall of 2014.
Spain and the Beavers finished eighth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in 2013 after coming off their most successful season in program history, compiling a 15-4-3 record in 2012 including a NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.
In 2012, Spain coached three players to NSIC All-Conference honors and two players to NCAA Division II All-Central Region honors.
He holds a Bachelor's Degree in History/Education from Central Connecticut State in New Britain, Conn.
Scouting the week's competition...University of Mary: The Marauders enter this Thursday's match against the Jennies with an 0-1 record after falling, 2-1 to Montana State University Billings on Saturday, Sept. 6. Senior forward Andrea Muller was responsible for the team's lone score, taking three shot attempts in the game.
The University of Mary defense is led by senior Blaire Brookshire, junior Destiny Glaser and freshman Katie Berg.
Between the pipes stands redshirt freshman goalkeeper Kelsey Ekstedt. In her collegiate debut, the Eagle Lake, Minn. native allowed two goals and made five saves.
Minot State: The Beavers are scheduled to host Southern Nazarene University on Thursday, Sept. 11 prior to Saturday afternoon's match with the Jennies. Minot State finished in a 1-1 draw with Southwestern Oklahoma State in their season opener on Sept. 7. Senior defender Taylor Bachman-Williams scored the only goal for the Beavers, who is one of seven returning starters.
The Beaver defense is led by sophomore Kelli Creese, the only returning defender from a season ago. Minot State allowed 23 shot attempts (eight on goal) in the season opener.
Junior goalkeeper Gemma Biasetto made four saves in the overtime tie last Sunday, logging all 110 minutes of action. Last season, she finished fifth in the NSIC with 5.86 saves per match.
Head Coach Lewis Theobald Six-time MIAA Coach of the Year,
Lewis Theobald is in his eighth season as head coach at Central Missouri with a stunning 111-22-15 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 September 27, 2013 at Washburn. He entered the 2014 season as the sixth-winningest active head coach in Division II women's soccer with a .798 winning percentage. 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.
Dilkes, Eldridge named MIAA Players of the Week...Freshman goalkeeper
Ana Dilkes and sophomore defender
Emily Eldridge earned MIAA Player of the Week honors this week. Dilkes and Eldridge helped the Jennies post back-to-back shutouts to start a season for the first time since 2005. Dilkes made seven saves through her first two collegiate games.
Beating the Best...The Jennies' 2-0 win against No. 8 Minnesota-Duluth on Sunday, Sept. 7 was their first win against a ranked opponent since Nov. 11, 2012 against No. 8 Southwestern Oklahoma State (3-0).
Outshooting the Opponent...Through the first two games this season, UCM has taken more shot attempts than its opponent in both of its wins, totaling 22 versus 17 for the opposing offense. Last season, the Jennies were 14-3-2 when they attempted more shots than their opponent.
Piling up the Penalties...Through two games, the Jennies have committed 24 fouls to their opponents' 16 - an average of 12 per game and second-most in the MIAA. In 2013, the Jens were the least-penalized team in the conference, committing just 101 fouls in 20 games for a 5.05 per game average.
Looking for Support from the Bench...Last weekend, five of the 22 shot attempts by the UCM offense came from the legs of reserves. Through two games last season, the Jennies had 13 shot attempts from their second unit and 28 attempts overall.
Jennies Soccer (By the numbers)...The Jennies have lost just three road games in the past four seasons under head coach
Lewis Theobald, and are 3-0-1 in road openers since 2010.
The Jennies are 8-2-1 all-time against North Dakota schools and 1-0-1 on the road.
UCM's only match at the University of Mary came on Sept. 6, 2012, with the Jennies winning, 1-0.
The program's only visit to Minot State occurred on Sept. 8, 2012, with the game ending in a 0-0 draw in double overtime.
