INDIANAPOLIS -- The women's soccer schedule is simple this week. All four matches this weekend will take place on Sunday afternoon, as seven squads will be trying to keep pace with No. 12 Milwaukee, who sits at the top of the ladder with a 4-0-0 League mark.
All matches slated for Sunday, October 9:
1:00 p.m. - Wright State at Green Bay - Phoenix Flix: Needing to pick up points if they want to stay in the race for a Horizon League tournament bid, Wright State (5-6-2, 0-2-1 Horizon) faces a stingy Green Bay (3-8-3, 1-2-1 Horizon) on Sunday. It will be a battle of two of the League's top keepers, as the Raiders Brooke McCurdy faces off with Green Bay's Maddie Drusch.
Drusch, the Phoenix's all-time leader in saves, owns a 0.86 goals against average, the second-best in the Horizon League. McCurdy has turned away 68 shots this season, second only to Drusch. Offensively, Wright State's Brittany Persaud and Bekah Bonny sit directly in front of Green Bay's Hekla Palmadottir, who is averaging 0.82 points per game. Persaud, among the League leaders in assists, is posting 0.92 ppg, while Bonny is at 0.85 ppg after a five-goal output this season.
2:00 p.m. - Youngstown State at #12 Milwaukee - HLN: Two of the Horizon League's scoring leaders will be on display when Milwaukee (12-1-0, 4-0-0 Horizon) hosts Youngstown State (3-7-2, 0-2-1 Horizon) at Engelmann Stadium.
YSU's Jade Flory has put on a show 12 matches into her collegiate career, finding the back of the net on 7 occasions, ranking second in the League in goals and third in points. In both categories, Flory trails Sarah Hagen, who should be returning to the Milwaukee lineup after spending the last week at the US U23 Training Camp. Despite missing the last game (a 2-0 Panther win over Valparaiso), Hagen has 12 goals and 34 points in 2011, easily pacing the League.
A victory would put Milwaukee three League wins away from clinching the No. 1 seed and hosting responsibilities for the Horizon League Women's Soccer Tournament, which will run Nov. 1-6.
2:00 p.m. - Detroit at Loyola: Looking to keep pace with Milwaukee, Detroit (10-4-1, 3-1-0 Horizon) heads to Loyola (4-7-3, 0-1-2 Horizon) squad that is beginning to find its offense.
The Titans continue to boast one of the top overall attacks in the League, with four players - Abby McCollum (20 points), Alyssa Riley (14), Kaitlyn Quarrell (12) and Sarah Dzuris (12) - all placing in the top 10 of the conference in points. Detroit has not been held scoreless in over a month, dating back to a Sept. 4 shutout against Portland State.
Loyola, after going nearly a month without a goal, has scored three in its last three matches, picking up a road point at Cleveland State with a 1-1 draw before knocking off Indiana State, 2-0, last Sunday. On Wednesday, Loyola collected another point on the road with a scoreless draw at Green Bay. Monica Gonyo has been stout in net for the Ramblers, picking up shutouts in each of the last two matches.
2:00 p.m. - Cleveland State at Valparaiso: Coming off a key road win, Cleveland State (8-4-1, 1-2-0 Horizon) heads up I-65 to take on Valparaiso (6-5-2, 2-1-0 Horizon) on Sunday afternoon.
The Vikings collected a 1-0 win at the Butler Bowl on Wednesday, with Natalie Daniels finding the back of the net in the 10th minute. Defensively, Cleveland State held up, posting its fourth shutout of the season. Becky Williams has helped solidify the defense from her keeper position; since taking over as the starting goalkeeper in early September, Williams has posted a 1.06 goals against average and an .800 save percentage.
Valparaiso went toe-to-toe with Milwaukee on Wednesday, surrendering two second-half goals to suffer its first loss in League play. Kristen Manski has been stellar in net for the Crusaders, recording five shutouts in Valpo’s last seven matches. With a 0.83 GAA, Manski leads the Horizon League, 81.6-percent save percentage is third in the conference.
