Women's Soccer Release #9

Oct. 22, 2007

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Pam Shipway, Milwaukee
Senior * Midfielder * Vernon Hills, Ill.
Shipway led the Panthers to three victories last week as UWM clinched its eighth consecutive regular-season title. She netted the match-winning goal in Tuesday's showdown triumph over Loyola and also Friday versus Cleveland State before capping the week with an assist Sunday as the Panthers defeated Wright State 2-0 to finish the year unbeated (7-0-1) in League play.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending October 21

Abbie Kaul, Butler
So. * M * Fredonia, Wis.
Kaul headed home a free kick in the 64th minute to give Butler a 1-0 victory at Oklahoma on Sunday. Kaul also helped the Bulldog defense limit the Sooners to only two shots on goal in the match.

Cynthia Morote-Ariza, Loyola
So. * F * Chicago, Ill.
Morote-Ariza scored four goals and set up one more in the Ramblers' three contests. She had the lone Rambler goal in Tuesday's 2-1 loss at Milwaukee and added two goals against Detroit on Friday before notching a goal and an assist in Sunday's 3-0 victory over Youngstown State.

Erin Murray, Valparaiso
Sr. * GK * Pleasanton, Calif.
Murray recorded a pair of shutouts as Valpo defeated Youngstown State 1-0 on Friday and Cleveland State 2-0 on Sunady. She stopped five shots while posting her fifth and sixth clean sheets of the season.

Amber Kasmer, Wright State
Fr. * F * Euclid, Ohio
Kasmer notched a hat trick to power Wright State past Green Bay 5-2 on Friday. She hit the net for the seventh consecutive contest and now ranks second in the League with 11 goals and 25 points this season.

Jordan Gapczynski, Youngstown State
So. * F * Wexford, Pa.
Gapczynski took a team-high five shots in Sunday's 3-0 loss to Loyola. She leads the Penguins with 46 shots this season.

Previous Player-of-the-Week Honorees:
Sept. 3 -- Amy Miller, Wright State
Sept. 10 -- Jennifer Wieand, Cleveland State
Sept. 17 -- Angie Muir, Butler
Sept. 24 -- Erin Kane, Milwaukee
Oct. 1 -- Katie Fortenberry, Detroit
Oct. 8 -- Cynthia Morote-Ariza, Loyola
Oct. 15 -- Amber Kasmer, Wright State

News From Around the League

Panthers stand at the top again
Milwaukee captured its eighth consecutive regular-season title with three victories last week. The Panthers moved to 11-3-3 overall after defeating Loyola 2-1 on Tuesday, Cleveland State 6-0 on Friday and Wright State 2-0 on Sunday. Their record includes five consecutive victories and a 7-0-1 League ledger. Milwaukee is unbeaten (8-0-3) in 11 matches since Sept. 16.

Only Penn State has a longer run of regular-season titles, with the Nittany Lions winning the last nine Big Ten Conference crowns. Milwaukee is now 28-0-2 in its last 30 League matches since 2003 and 48-1-3 in League play since 2000.

Junior goalkeeper Erin Kane tied the school record with her 36th career victory Sunday. It was also her League-leading ninth shutout of the year and loop-record 35th of her career. Kane ranks among the top ten goalkeepers in the nation with a 0.40 goals-against average, allowing only seven goals in 1581 minutes of action this season.

The Panthers have outscored their opponents by a modest 5-1 margin in the first half of matches during their current streak, but 9-1 after intermission. For the season, UWM owns a 19-2 scoring edge after intermission.

Senior midfielder Pam Shipway netted the match-winners against Loyola and Cleveland State, giving her three goals this season.

The Panthers close the regular season Friday at Texas A&M.

Ramblers lose but clinch home match
Loyola has secured home-field advantage in the quarterfinals but the Ramblers lost their chance for the regular-season title with Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at Milwaukee. The Ramblers came back with two victories over the weekend, blanking Detroit 2-0 on Friday and shutting out Youngstown State 3-0 on Sunday to improve to 11-7-0 overall and 6-1-0 in League play.

Sophomore forward Cynthia Morote-Ariza continued her torrid scoring pace with four goals in the three matches, including both markers against UDM. Morote-Ariza leads the circuit with 13 goals and 33 points, setting school single-season records in both categories. Including her seven assists, Morote-Ariza has played a role in 67 percent of the team's 30 goals this fall.

Senior midfielder Julie Kenkel hit the net in the second half Sunday, logging her first goal since 2004. Kenkel, the League's Newcomer of the Year that season, missed most of 2005 and all of 2006 with various injuries but became the 12th Rambler to score a goal this season.

Sunday's victory was Loyola's eighth shutout of the season, tying the school one-year record set last fall. Freshman goalkeeper Colleen Dougherty lowered her goals-against average to 1.03.

The Ramblers can secure the second seed for the League Championship with a win or a tie Sunday at Wright State. Loyola hosts Michigan State in non-League action on Thursday.

Raiders continue to scorch the nets
Wright State boasts the League's most prolific attack (31 goals). The Raiders start the week at 11-4-1 overall and 4-1-1 in the League after losing Sunday's showdown at Milwaukee, 2-0. It was the first shutout suffered by Wright State since Sept. 9.

The Raiders had scored 13 goals in their previous four outings, including five at Green Bay on Sunday. Freshman forward Amber Kasmer notched a hat trick and sophomore forward Amy Miller added a pair of goals against the Phoenix. Kasmer ranks second in the League with 11 goals and 25 points this season, with Miller's eight goals putting her in a tie for third place on that loop chart.

Kasmer's 11 goals this year are tied for sixth-best in Raider history. She is also tied for ninth on WSU's one-year points list. Miller needs one more point to crack the school's career top-ten list.

Freshman goalkeeper Meghan Hackerson made six saves in a losing effort Sunday. She ranks second in the League with a 0.87 goals-against average and also with her six shutouts this year.

Wright State needs one more victory to tie the school record matched last year. The Raiders can eclipse that mark with victories Friday versus Valparaiso and Sunday when Loyola comes to Dayton.

Crusaders move into top four
Valparaiso took over fourth place in the League standings with two victories, shutting out Youngstown State 1-0 on Friday and Cleveland State 2-0 on Sunday. That fourth spot is important for the Crusaders, now 10-7-0 overall and 4-3-0 in League play, as the top four seeds host quarterfinal matches in the League Championship.

Senior goalkeeper Erin Murray led the way last week with a pair of shutouts. She now has six clean sheets this season and extended her own school record with 20 in her career. Murray carries a 1.08 goals-against average this season. As a team, Valpo set a one-year record with its eighth shutout of the fall.

Junior forward Kendall Brown netted her sixth career match-winner Sunday, her third goal of the season. The six deciding markers are third-most in Valpo history.

Senior forward Brittany Derksen hit the net for the lone tally Friday for her third goal of the season. Junior defender Jackie Thomas tops the team scoring charts with four goals and nine points with sophomore midfielder Jessie White adding three goals and two assists.

The ten victories are tied for third-most in school history. The Crusaders won 12 matches in each of the past two years. Valpo can take one step closer to that mark Sunday at Wright State in the regular-season finale.

Bulldogs knock off Big 12 foe
Butler improved to 6-8-1 overall with a 1-0 victory at Oklahoma on Sunday. The Bulldogs stand at 3-3-0 in League play.

Butler has won four of its six matches, outscoring the opposition 7-3 during that span. Oklahoma had only two shots on goal with senior netminder Annalise Larkin recording her third shutout of the year. She also lowered her season goals-against average to 1.17.

Sophomore midfielder Abbie Kaul headed home the deciding goal against the Sooners, her second marker of the year. She is one of six Bulldogs with at least two goals this season.

Junior midfielder Angie Muir leads that group with seven goals, and set up Kaul's strike for her sixth assist of the season. Muir ranks third in the League with 20 points, while her goal and helper counts are fifth- and second-best in the circuit, respectively.

The Bulldogs are three points behind Valparaiso (4-3-0, 12 points) for fourth place in the League standings but Butler has a match in hand. BU also owns the tie-breaker advantage over Valpo, based on a head-to-head victory last month.

Butler faces a busy week to close the regular season, meeting cross-town foe IUPUI on Tuesday before hitting the road for matches at Cleveland State on Friday and at Youngstown State on Sunday.

Phoenix skid continues
Green Bay lost its fourth consecutive match, falling 5-2 to Wright State on Friday to finish the League slate at 2-6-0. The Phoenix carries a 2-13-0 overall record into the week, prior to non-League dates at Francis Marion (Friday) and at Winthrop (Sunday).

Green Bay has been outscored 15-4 during its four-match slide, allowing at least three goals in each contest. On a positive note, Green Bay has scored eight goals in its last five matches after collecting only four in its first ten contests of the year.

Senior midfielder Lotte Rasmussen scored both goals against WSU, her second two-goal effort of the season. Rasmussen, who also hit the net twice against Youngstown State on Oct. 5, leads the team with four goals and eight points this season.

Sophomore defender Amanda Stinson is next with three markers with freshman forward Chelsea Lyons adding two goals and two assists for six points.

The Phoenix has led at halftime only once this season (2-1 against Youngstown State). Green Bay has been outscored 19-5 in the first half and 36-12 overall.

Senior goalkeeper Brooke Wikgren ranks second on the League charts with 95 saves this season. She owns a 2.38 goals-against average.

Titans struggling to find the net
Detroit fell to 3-10-3 on the year (1-3-2 in League play) with a 2-0 loss to Loyola on Friday. The Titans were shut out for the ninth time this season and have not scored more than one goal in a match since Sept. 28.

Detroit is winless (0-4-3) in its last seven outings, the longest such streak in program history.

Sophomore Trina Kochanski has five of the Titans' 11 goals this season, tying for seventh place on the League charts in that category. She is also tied for tenth with 11 points.

Fellow sophomore Emily Kiely (three goals, seven points) is the only other Detroit player with more than one goal this season. As a team, the Titans have scored the fewest goals of any League team in 2007.

Junior goalkeeper Katie Fortenberry recorded five saves against the Ramblers, giving her 81 for the season. That is fourth-most among League netminders, with Fortenberry also boasting a 1.55 goals-against average and five shutouts. Her 23 career victories are tied for second-most in Titan history and she is also second with 21 career shutouts.

Detroit finishes the regular season with a pair of League matches this weekend, trying to move up in the League standings. The Titans travel to Cleveland State on Friday before returning home to face Youngstown State on Sunday.

Vikings prepare to send off seniors
Cleveland State starts the week at 4-12-0 overall and 1-5-0 in the League after a 6-0 loss at Milwaukee and a 2-0 setback versus Valparaiso last weekend.

The Vikings' match versus Butler on Sunday is not only the regular-season finale, but possibly the final home match for four seniors as Shaya Back, Samantha Casey, Heather Clapacs and Amber Rasmussen will be recognized prior to the match. The four players were part of CSU's initial recruiting class, with Back holding the Viking career records for goals (11) and points (24) and Clapacs owning two All-League certificates.

Junior forward Jennifer Wieand has already eclipsed CSU's single-season records with seven goals and 16 points this fall. She needs four more shots to match the Viking record in that department, equaling the 51 taken by Lisa Conway last fall.

Freshman goalkeeper Kelly Zinkiewich ranks third in the League with 93 saves this fall, needing seven more to become the third player in program history to hit 100 in a season. Ashley Kidwell stopped 134 shots in 2004 and Erin Withrow logged 122 saves the following year.

Cleveland State attempts to avoid the 8/9 game, finishing the regular season with two home matches. Detroit comes to town Friday before the Sunday matinee against Butler.

Penguins continue search for goals
Youngstown State suffered its sixth and seventh losses in a row, falling to Valparaiso (1-0 on Friday) and Loyola (3-0 on Sunday) last week. The Penguins are now 1-15-1 overall and winless in six tries in League play.

Youngstown State has been shut out in four consecutive matches, going 422:08 without a goal since the first half of its match at Milwaukee on Oct. 7. The Penguins have been outscored 18-3 during their latest slide.

Sophomore goalkeeper Caitlin Bodzioney had 11 saves against the Ramblers for her fourth double-digit save total of the year. Loyola outshot YSU 33-9. Bodzioney, who also logged eight stops against Valpo, leads the League with 140 saves this year----45 more than any other loop netminder. Her average of 8.75 stops per match is also among the national leaders in that category. Bodzioney carries a 1.96 goals-against average.

Freshman forward Lauren Brennan continues to lead the Penguins in scoring. She is tied for third in the League with eight goals and ranks fifth with her 18 points. Brennan has played a role in ten of YSU's 13 goals this year.

Youngstown State closes a five-match homestand Friday against Butler. The Penguins then wrap up the regular season Sunday with a contest at Detroit.

Six matches, so many possibilities....
The regular season comes to a close this week, with several teams jockeying for seeds in the Horizon League Women's Soccer Championship, presented by the U.S. Army.

Milwaukee (22 points) has already wrapped up the top seed with Loyola (18 points) also assured of a home match in the quarterfinals. The Ramblers try to secure the second seed Sunday against Wright State (13 points), with WSU attempting to leap past Loyola into that No. 2 spot.

Valparaiso (12 points) and Butler (nine) are battling for fourth place and the final home match in the quarterfinals. Butler has a match in hand, and also the tie-breaker edge over the Crusaders as BU visits Cleveland State and Youngstown State while Valpo is at Wright State on Friday.