Horizon League announces pairings for Women's Soccer Championship tournament
Oct. 29, 2007 INDIANAPOLIS --
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The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee earned the top seed after winning the regular-season title for the eighth consecutive year. The Panthers went through League play undefeated, outscoring opponents 23-3 in posting a 7-0-1 record in the circuit. UWM enters the tournament with an 11-4-3 overall ledger, losing just once in its last 12 outings. Milwaukee, which boasts a defense ranked among the national leaders with a 0.69 goals-against average, has posted a 48-1-3 record in League play since 2000 but has won the Championship only once (2005) in the last five years.
Junior goalkeeper Erin Kane leads the League with nine shutouts and a 0.70 goals-against mark. Freshman midfielder Nicole Sperl paces the Panther attack with five goals and four assists (14 points), supported by three goals and seven helpers from sophomore midfielder Erin Kreuser.
The Panthers begin tournament play at home at 6 p.m. (Central time / 7 p.m. Eastern) on Saturday (Nov. 3), meeting the winner of Tuesday's first-round match-up featuring eighth-seeded Cleveland State University (4-13-1 overall, 1-6-1 in the League) against No. 9 seed Youngstown State University (1-17-0, 0-8-0). Those two schools square off at CSU's Krenzler Field in a 7 p.m. (EDT) contest. Junior forward Jennifer Wieand boasts a school-single-season record eight goals to lead the Vikings, while freshman forward Lauren Brennan has a team-high eight goals for the Penguins.
Saturday's other three quarterfinal contests feature second-seeded Loyola University Chicago (12-8-0, 7-1-0) hosting seventh seed University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (2-15-0, 2-6-0) at 4 p.m. (Central time / 5 p.m. Eastern), while sixth seed University of Detroit Mercy (4-10-4, 2-3-3) travels to third seed Wright State University (12-5-1, 5-2-1) for a 2 p.m. (ET) contest. Instate rivals meet in the last quarterfinal as fifth seed Valparaiso University (10-8-0, 4-4-0) visits No. 4 seed Butler University (9-8-1, 5-3-0) in a high-noon showdown.
Loyola secured the second seed with a 2-0 victory at Wright State in the regular-season finale on Sunday. The Ramblers have won ten of their last 13 matches and feature the League's top scorer in sophomore Cynthia Morote-Ariza, who scored both goals against WSU and has 15 this season. She also had two goals and an assist in the regular-season meeting against Green Bay as Loyola rallied for a 3-2 victory on Sept. 21. Freshman goalkeeper Colleen Dougherty has taken over the starting role for LU, recording five shutouts so far in 2007.
Green Bay has lost its last six contests and will rely on senior midfielder Lotte Rasmussen, who leads the team with four goals this year. Sophomore defender Amanda Stinson added three goals during the regular season.
Sunday's loss was only the second in Wright State's last eight outings. The Raiders have already matched the program's single-season record with 12 victories (tying their total from last season). WSU freshman forward Amber Kasmer ranks second on the League scoring charts with 12 goals and 27 points while junior midfielder Amy Miller added eight goals and four helpers for 20 points during the regular season. Sophomore midfielder Trina Kochanski paces the Titans, entering the Championship with six goals to her credit this year. Kochanski and Kasmer each hit the net in the teams' 1-1 draw at Detroit on Oct. 12.
Butler could be the hottest team in the League, losing only once (1-0 to Loyola on Oct. 14) in their last seven outings. The Bulldogs were only 2-6-1 before a 2-0 victory at Valparaiso on Sept. 30, starting a dramatic turnaround. Junior midfielder Angie Muir has scored ten goals and set up six other goals for Butler, while senior goalkeeper Annalise Larkin concluded the regular season with back-to-back shutouts. Sophomore forward Carrie Twyman has six goals in 2007.
Junior Jackie Thomas leads the attack for Valparaiso, hitting the net four times this season. Junior forward Kendall Brown and sophomore midfielder Jessie White have three goals and two assists apiece.
The highest seed remaining after the quarterfinal round earns the right to host the remainder of the tournament the following weekend. Semifinals are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 9, with the League champion crowned on Sunday, Nov. 11. That team receives the League's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, which begins Nov. 16 at campus sites. The 2007 NCAA Women's College Cup is slated for Dec. 7 and 9 at Aggie Soccer Stadium in College Station, Texas.
Loyola claimed the League Championship as the second seed in 2006, defeating Detroit 2-1 in the championship behind Morote-Ariza, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. UDM's Titans knocked off regular-season titlist Milwaukee in the semifinals, but Milwaukee earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Championship and eliminated the University of Michigan in the opening round before losing to top-seeded University of Notre Dame.
For more information regarding the Horizon League Women's Soccer Championship, presented by the U.S. Army, log on to the Horizon League web site at www.horizonleague.org.
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2007 Horizon League Women's Soccer Championship Schedule (all times listed Eastern)
First Round -- Tuesday, Oct. 30#9 seed Youngstown State (1-17-1, 0-8-0) at #8 seed Cleveland State (4-13-1, 1-6-1), 7:00 p.m.
Quarterfinals -- Saturday, Nov. 3(hosted by higher-seeded teams)Youngstown State/Cleveland State winnerat #1 seed Milwaukee (11-4-3, 7-0-1), 7:00 p.m.#7 seed Green Bay (2-15-0, 2-6-0) at #2 seed Loyola (12-8-0, 7-1-0), 5:00 p.m.#6 seed Detroit (4-10-4, 2-3-3)at #3 seed Wright State (12-5-1, 5-2-1), 2:00 p.m.#5 seed Valparaiso (10-8-0, 4-4-0) at #4 seed Butler (9-8-1, 5-3-0), 12:00 p.m.
Semifinals -- Friday, Nov. 9(hosted by top seed remaining after quarterfinal round)Valparaiso / Butler winner vs. YSU/CSU // Milwaukee winner, Time TBADetroit / Wright State winner vs. Green Bay / Loyola winner, Time TBA
Championship -- Sunday, Nov. 11(hosted by top seed remaining after quarterfinal round)Semifinal winners, Time TBA
