WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Dec. 4, 2019) - Central Missouri Jennies Soccer hits the road for Mankato, Minn. to take on the Mavericks of Minnesota State in the NCAA Central Region Championship. The winner advances to the elite eight and will compete in an NCAA Super Region.
Central Region Championship Match - Friday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m.
No. 2 Central Missouri (19-2-1)
vs.
No. 1 Minnesota State (18-3-1)
Super Region Quarterfinal Match - Sunday, Dec. 8 at 1 p.m.
Winner of Central Region Championship
vs.
Winner of Midwest Region Championship
Where:
Minnesota State University - The Pitch - Mankato, Minn.
The Week Ahead:
• After hosting and surviving rounds one and two of the NCAA Central Region Tournament, No. 2 seed Central Missouri is now set to travel to Mankato, Minn. to take on the No. 1 seed Mavericks in the Central Region Championship.
• As the No. 1 seed in the Central Region Tournament, Minnesota State received a first round bye, then defeated Augustana (S.D.) 1-0 to advance to the Central Region Championship.
• Prior to the Jennies game, Grand Valley State and Indianapolis are competing for the Midwest Region Championship and a spot in the elite eight at 10 a.m. on
Friday.
• All four teams competing in Mankato this weekend were nationally ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches DII Top-25 rankings. Grand Valley State ranks No. 2 in the nation while the Jennies come in at No. 4., the Mavericks rank at No. 13 and the Greyhounds of Indianapolis round out the list at No. 25.
• Central Missouri, Minnesota State and Grand Valley are all veterans to the NCAA tournament while Indianapolis made the tournament for the first time in 10 years.
• This is the Jennies 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and their 13th appearance overall. Central Missouri has won the Central Region Tournament the past five years in a row.
• The winner of the Grand Valley State/Indianapolis match will face the winner of the Central Missouri/Minnesota State game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8. All matches will be played at The Pitch on Minnesota State's campus in Mankato, Minn.
• This is the Jennies 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and their 13th appearance overall. Central Missouri has won the Central Region Tournament the past five years in a row.
• With 18 goals on the season, Jennies junior offensive leader
Makayla Toth is just three goals away from setting a new single-season program record.
• There is a $5 entry fee for adults, $3 for seniors and $1 for children ages 2-12. Entry for children under the age of 2 is free of charge.
Scouting the Competition:
Minnesota State Mavericks
• Posting an overall record of 18-3-1, the Mavericks went 12-3-0 in the NSIC to earn a second-place finish in regular season league play.
• For the fourth consecutive year, Minnesota State won the NSIC Tournament and earned the out-right bid to the NCAA tournament.
• As the No. 1 seed in the Central Region Tournament, Minnesota State earned a first-round bye, then shutout the No. 4 seed Augustana 1-0 to advance to the Central Region Championship match.
• Three Mavericks were selected to the D2CCA All-Central Region Teams with Alesha Duccini and Jenny Vetter receiving first team nods, while senior Taylor Kenealy was selected to the second team. Vetter was also named the Central Region Player of the Year, which is the first time a Maverick has received that honor.
• Offensively, multiple Mavericks have cracked the top 10 in season records at MSU this season. Vetter broke the single season records for game winning goals at nine and shots taken at 119, is third in the program with 20 single season goals scored and has the fourth most points in a season with 47. Brynn Desens is currently tied for third in program history 12 assists on the season. Allie Williams is tied for the fourth most points in a single-season as a freshman with 24.
• Vetter leads the nation with 10 game-winning goals and ranks eight in Division II with 20 goals and 10th with 47 points on the season. Desens ranks fourth in the nation with 13 assists.
• Friday's match marks the 15th meeting between the Jens and the Mavericks. Central Missouri leads the all-time series 7-5-2.
Grand Valley State Lakers
• Grand Valley State post an overall record of 21-1 and went undefeated at 9-0 in league play. The Lakers won the GLIAC regular season championship and their 13th consecutive GLIAC Tournament championship.
• Earning the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional Tournament, the Lakers defeated the No. 8 seed Southern Indiana 7-1 in the first round, then shutout the No. 5 seed McKendree 4-0 in round two to advance to the Midwest Regional Championship against the No. 7 seed Indianapolis.
• As a team, Grand Valley earns Division II in nine categories. The Lakers rank first in assists per game (4.09), total assists (90), goals per game (4.50), total goals (99), points per game (13.09), total points (288), goals against average (.273), shutout percentage (.773) and total shutouts (17).
• Seven Lakers earned D2CCA All-Region honors with Riko Sagara being named the Midwest Region Player of the Year. Sagara leads the nation with 21 assists while scoring 15 goals for 51 total points, which is tied for second in the nation. She is currently three assists shy of the Division II record after missing the mark by one a season ago, when she was a unanimous first team All-American.
• Ava Cook ranks third in the nation with 23 goals this season while Chantel Carranza ranks fifth with 22. Cook, Sagara and Carranza also rank third, fourth and fifth in the nation for total points. With 23 goals and 10 assists, Cook leads the Lakers with 56 points on the season.
• The Lakers and the Jens have met five times in the past six years. Grand Valley leads the all-time series against UCM 3-1-1.
Indianapolis Greyhounds
• Posting an overall record of 15-4-1, Indianapolis went 11-3-1 in the GLVC and finished second in the GLVC tournament to earn a bid into the NCAA Midwest Region Tournament at the No. 7 seed.
• This is the Greyhounds first tournament appearance since 2009.
• Indianapolis upset the No. 2 seed Walsh in the first round of the Midwest Regional and then upset the No. 3 seed Findlay in the second round to advance to the Midwest Regional Championship.
• Taylor Peck was named second-team all-region after her remarkable 2019 season. The junior midfielder also was named GLVC offensive player of the year and first-team All-GLVC last week by conference coaches.
• Peck leads the Greyhounds with 21 points, 18 of those points coming on her team-high nine goals.
• The Jens have perviously faced Indianapolis once in program history. The last meeting between the Greyhounds and UCM resulted in a 3-1 Indianapolis victory in 2000.
