WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The Jennies enter week nine holding steady at No. 10 in the latest NSCAA poll. The Jens are coming off of a pair of 3-0 victories over Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri.
Central Missouri enters the final week of the regular season tied with Northeastern State for the top spot in the MIAA. If the Jennies win both games this weekend they will guarantee at least a share of their eighth regular season MIAA title, and sixth title in a row. A pair of wins combined with anything short of two wins from Northeastern State will guarantee the Jennies homefield advantage in the MIAA Tournament.
Series HistoryLindenwood:
UCM leads 7-2-0The Jennies have shutout the Lions in all seven of their victories in the series, and have outscored Lindenwood 27-7 overall. UCM has won the previous six matches in the series, and have scored at least four goals in each of those games. Lindenwood's last win came in 1997.
Mo. Western:
UCM leads 18-0-0UCM has won every game in the series so far, and have shutout the Griffons in 14 of those games. UCM has outscored Missouri Western 58-4 in the series. UCM has shutout Missouri Western six times when playing in St. Charles.
Scouting the CompetitionLindenwood:• The Lions are 3-3-2 when playing at home this season, and 3-0-1 in their last four home games with wins over Northeastern State, Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western, and a tie with Central Oklahoma.
• The Lions are led by junior forward Alexis Robbers in goals and points with five and 10 respectively.
• Jordan Gnolfo has made 13 starts in goal for Lindenwood. She has a .724 save percentage and a 1.71 goals against average, while recording 63 saves and compiling a 4-6-3 record. Zoe Wetzel has also played in goal this season, tallying a 1-1-1 record with a .609 save percentage and a 2.79 goals against average, while recording 14 saves.
• Three different players are tied for the team lead in assists with two.
• The Lions have been outscored 33-16 during the season, and have been outscored at home 17-11.
• Lindenwood is tied for seventh in the MIAA in goals scored with 16.
Missouri Western:• Missouri Western is 6-1-0 at home this year, and 3-1 in home conference games with wins over Missouri Southern, Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays, and a loss to Southwest Baptist.
• The Griffons are led by sophomore midfielder Bridget Blessie, who leads the team in goals with four, and is tied for the team lead in points with sophomore midfielder Sydney Cluck with eight.
• Sophomore midfielder Layne Shepherd leads the team in assists with three.
• Missouri Western is third in the MIAA in goals allowed with 13 all season.
• Missouri Western has outscored their opponents 13-5 when playing at home this season.
• The Griffons are tied for seventh in the MIAA in goals scored with 16, and ranks last in the MIAA in corner kicks taken with 47.
Goals, Goals and More Goals• UCM is 9th in total goals scored in NCAA Division II, and first in the MIAA with 53.
• The Jennies are eighth in NCAA Division II in goals scored per game with a 3.31 average.
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Julie Ireland is tied for 34th in goals with 11 in NCAA Division II.
• The Jens have scored 53 goals this season. The record for most goals scored in a season is 63, which was set during the 2011 season, and matched in the 2014 season.
Defense Wins Championships•
Ana Dilkes' .914 save percentage is tops in the MIAA, and third-best in NCAA Division II. Her 0.32 goals against average are also tops in the MIAA and ranks sixth in NCAA Division II.
• The Jens rank first in the MIAA in goals against average, and 5th in NCAA Division II with 0.38 goals allowed per game.
• The Jennies are 6th in NCAA Division II in shutout percentage with a .688 percentage. UCM has recorded shutouts in 11 of their 16 games this year.
• The Jens have only given up six goals all season. The record for the fewest goals allowed in a season is nine, which was set in 1998. The least amount of goals allowed in a season under coach Theobald is 11, which was accomplished by the 2010 team.
Road Warriors• The Jens have only lost four road games since the beginning of the 2010 season, and only one of those losses was at the hands of a school in Missouri.
Return to the Postseason• Central Missouri clinched a spot in the MIAA Tournament with their win over Northwest Missouri on Sunday afternoon.
• The Jens currently sit No. 2 in the latest Central Region rankings released by the NCAA.
The Home Stretch• The Jens have won the final two games of the regular season each of the last six seasons.
• The Jennies have not given up a goal in the final two games of the regular season since beating Northwest Missouri 3-1 on November 5, 2009.
