Women's Soccer Weekly Release #6

Oct. 1, 2007

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Katie Fortenberry, Detroit
Junior * Goalkeeper * Flushing, Mich.
Fortenberry posted a pair of shutouts against League opposition, stopping four shots each in Friday's 2-0 victory over Green Bay and a scoreless tie with eight-time defending regular-season champion Milwaukee on Sunday. She has allowed only one goal in her last five outings, lowering her season goals-against average from 3.00 on Sept. 14 to a current mark of 1.65.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending September 30

Angie Muir, Butler
Jr. * M * Carmel, Ind.
Muir netted two of Butler's three goals last week, converting penalty kicks against Milwaukee and Valparaiso. The PK versus Valpo, her fifth goal of the season, provided an insurance marker in a 2-0 victory.

Chelsea Lyons, Green Bay
Fr. * D * Coon Rapids, Minn.
Lyons notched her first collegiate goal Sunday, lifting the Phoenix to a 1-0 overtime victory over Cleveland State. Lyons scored on a breakaway after a long free kick to snap Green Bay's eight-match losing streak.

Cynthia Morote-Ariza, Loyola
So. * F * Chicago, Ill.
Morote-Ariza continued her frenetic scoring pace with the match-winner in Sunday's 3-1 triumph at Drake. She snapped a 1-1 tie with her free kick in the 84th minute for her fifth goal of the year.

Erin Kreuser, Milwaukee
So. * M * West Allis, Wis.
Kreuser tallied a goal and two assists in the Panthers' 5-1 victory over Butler on Friday. She opened the scoring and set up the eventual match-winner as the Panthers opened defense of their regular-season League title.

Ani Michl, Valparaiso
So. * M * Deerfield, Ill.
Michl scored a pair of goals in the Crusaders' 3-1 victory over Indiana State on Friday. She opened the scoring in the 14th minute and added an insurance goal in the 86th for her first two goals of the season.

Amber Kasmer, Wright State
Fr. * F * Euclid, Ohio
Kasmer recorded the lone Raider goal in Friday's 2-1 loss to #6/7 Texas. She staked Wright State to a 1-0 lead with unassisted her goal in the 13th minute, her third marker of the season.

Jordan Gapczynski, Youngstown State
So. * F * Wexford, Pa.
Gapczynski led the team with nine shots in two matches last weekend. She had four of the Penguins' 11 attempts in Friday's scoreless draw versus St. Francis (Pa.) and five of the team's eight tries in Sunday's 3-0 loss to Canisius.

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

News From Around the League

Panthers begin another title quest
Milwaukee starts the week at 5-3-2 overall and 1-0-1 in League play after defeating Butler 5-1 on Friday and playing Detroit to a scoreless draw on Sunday.

Sophomore midfielder Erin Kreuser posted a goal and two assists Friday, leading the Panthers to the victory in their League opener. She also assisted on the eventual match-winner by freshman midfielder Nicole Sperl. Kreuser leads the team in assists (five) and points (nine), while Sperl's three goals pace the Panthers in that department. Senior Joanna Severson added her first two goals of the year at Butler.

Sunday's draw pushed Milwaukee's unbeaten streak in overtime matches to 20 (9-0-11). The Panthers have not lost in extra time since a 3-2 setback to DePaul on Sept. 12, 2004. Junior goalkeeper Erin Kane registered her League-record 31st career shutout Sunday. She leads the League with five clean sheets and a 0.47 goals-against average.

The Panthers also have gone undefeated in their last 24 regular-season League matches (22-0-2) since a 2-1 loss to Green Bay on Oct. 17, 2003. UWM, which is chasing a ninth consecutive regular-season League title, is now 42-1-3 in League play since 2000.

Milwaukee visits Green Bay on Wednesday before a two-match homestand against Iowa (Friday) and Youngstown State (Sunday).

Titans continue turnaround
Detroit started the year at 0-5-0, being outscored 15-1. In their last five matches, though, the Titans have posted a 3-1-1 ledger and allowed only two goals. UDM opened League play with a 2-0 victory over Green Bay on Friday and played Milwaukee to a scoreless tie on Sunday.

Junior goalkeeper Katie Fortenberry notched her third and fourth shutouts of the season with four saves in each match. Fortenberry's goals-against average, which was 3.00 on Sept. 14, now stands at 1.65 for the year. Fortenberry also moved into third place on the Titans' all-time saves list with 232 in her career.

The turnaround is similar to the team's change of fortunes last year, when Detroit lost eight of its first 11 matches before a 7-3-0 surge in the second half of the year on the way to a spot in the Horizon League championship match.

Sophomore Trina Kochanski scored the match-winner Friday, her team-high fourth goal of the year early in the second half against Green Bay. Sophomore midfielder Laren Moss added her first goal since 2005 as insurance. Moss netted four goals to earn All-League recognition as a freshman in 2005 but missed all of last season due to injury.

Detroit has a busy week, with matches at IUPUI (Tuesday), at Valparaiso (Friday) and at Butler (Sunday).

Raiders let lead get away at Texas
Wright State lost its only match of the week, falling to 7-3-0 with a 2-1 loss at #6/7 Texas on Friday. The Raiders led 1-0 at halftime but were outshot 19-1 for the match as their four-match winning streak came to an end.

Freshman forward Amber Kasmer staked the Raiders to that one-goal lead with her third goal of the season, hitting the net for an unassisted tally in the 13 minute. Both of Kasmer's other goals were match-winners.

Kasmer is now second on the team scoring charts with three goals and two assists (eight points), trailing only junior forward Amy Miller (five goals and two assists for 12 points. Junior midfielder Jess Rooma also has three goals this fall.

Wright State has outscored its opponents 17-9 for the season, including a 7-3 advantage before intermission. Friday's loss was the first in seven matches this season when Wright State scored first.

Freshman goalkeeper Meghan Hackerson continued her strong play for the Raiders. Her 0.89 goals-against average and four shutouts place second on those respective League charts. Hackerson's next shutout will put her into WSU's single-season top-ten list.

Wright State begins League play this week with home matches versus Butler (Friday) and Cleveland State (Sunday).

Ramblers step out for a victory
Loyola reached the .500 mark for the first time in 2007, climbing to 5-5-0 with a 3-1 triumph at Drake on Sunday. The Ramblers have now won three matches in a row and four of five since a 1-4-0 start. Loyola has outscored its opponents 8-3 in its last three outings.

Sophomore forward Cynthia Morote-Ariza continued her strong play, scoring the match-winner with a free kick in the 83rd minute. Morote-Ariza now has ten points (four goals, two assists) in her last four matches and is second in the League with 15 points for the season. The sophomore's five assists top the circuit.

Freshman goalkeeper Colleen Dougherty notched her first collegiate shutout with two saves against EIU and stopped five more shots in Sunday's victory. She owns a 1.45 goals-against average for the season.

Senior forward Katie Heidenreich netted her second goal of the year, posting the eventual match-winner in the 31st minute on Friday. Heidenreich also assisted on sophomore midfielder Ashley Morawski's insurance tally.

Eight of Loyola's 15 goals this year have come in the final 15 minutes of regulation including two in a 17-second span to break a 1-1 tie Sunday.

Loyola opens a three-match homestand versus Valparaiso on Tuesday. The Ramblers then host Cleveland State on Friday and Illinois State on Sunday.

Bulldogs come back after slow League start
Butler split its two matches last week, moving to 3-6-1 overall and 1-1-0 in League play. The Bulldogs stumbled out of the gates with a 5-1 loss to Milwaukee on Friday but came back for a 2-0 victory at Valparaiso on Sunday.

Junior midfielder Angie Muir converted penalty kicks in each match, accounting for all of BU's scoring on Friday and adding an insurance tally in Sunday's triumph. Muir now leads the team with five goals this year, ranking third in the League in that category and also with her 14 points. She had six goals and five helpers in each of her first two seasons at Butler.

Sophomore defender Abbie Kaul scored the match-winner Sunday. Kaul's 30-yard free kick slipped into the corner of the net in the 20th minute for her first goal of the season.

Senior goalkeeper Annalise Larkin notched her first shutout of the season with six saves at Valparaiso. She ranks fifth in the League with a 1.46 goals-against average for the season.

The Bulldogs had allowed only four goals in their previous three matches before Friday's loss, when Milwaukee scored five times---including three in the final 15 minutes. Butler has been outscored 11-4 after the 60-minute mark this fall.

Butler continues League play this week, traveling to Wright State on Friday before returning home to face Detroit on Sunday.

Phoenix lets nets first victory of 2007
Green Bay improved to 1-8-0 on the season, 1-2-0 in League play. The Phoenix fell at Detroit 2-0 on Friday but broke into the victory column with a 1-0 overtime triumph at Cleveland State on Sunday to snap an eight-match skid---the program's longest since a nine-match slide in 2000.

Senior goalkeeper Brooke Wikgren posted the ninth shutout of her career with five saves against the Vikings. It was her first clean sheet of 2007, as she moved into fourth place on the Phoenix all-time charts with 257 career saves. Her 57 stops this year rank third on the League charts.

Freshman defender Chelsea Lyons' first collegiate goal was the match-winner in Cleveland as she hit the net for an unassisted tally 3:29 into extra time. Lyons is now tied for the team lead with her two points, matching the totals of freshman midfielder Christy Logan, sophomore forward Meghan McKenzie and sophomore defender Amanda Stinson.

Green Bay has not scored a first-half goal yet this season, being outscored 5-0 before intermission and 15-4 overall.

A three-match homestand begins Wednesday when Green Bay hosts Milwaukee. The Phoenix then hosts Youngstown State on Friday before taking on 2006 NCAA Tournament qualfier Drake in Green Bay on Sunday.

Crusaders lose Horizon League debut
Valparaiso starts the week at 6-5-0 overall. The Crusaders defeated Indiana State 3-1 on Friday before losing their Horizon League opener against another in-state foe, Butler, 2-0 on Sunday.

Sophomore midfielder Ani Michl recorded a pair of goals versus ISU, opening the scoring in the 14th minute and adding an insurance marker in the 86th minute. The goals were her first two of the year, while sophomore midfielder Jessie White added her third marker of the year midway through the second half.

Michl became the eighth different Crusader to hit the net this season. Junior defender Jackie Thomas leads the team with four goals and eight points, with sophomore forward Sarah Jewell adding one marker and three helpers and freshman midfielder Lynnea Pappas providing a goal with two assists.

Senior goalkeeper Erin Murray ranks third on the League charts with a 1.10 goals-against average this season.

Head coach Stephen Anthony has 74 victories in his 10-year tenure at Valparaiso, including 12 each in 2005 and last fall.

Valpo has scored ten of its 14 goals after halftime, including five after the 75-minute mark.

The Crusaders continue League play this week, visiting Loyola on Tuesday before a home match against Detroit on Friday afternoon.

Vikings halt skid but drop League opener
Cleveland State carries a 3-8-0 record into the week, losing 1-0 in overtime to Green Bay to start the League schedule. The Vikings snapped a four-match losing streak on Friday, defeating Robert Morris 3-1.

Junior forward Jennifer Wieand had two of the three goals Friday, matching the school single-season records for goals (six) and points (14) established by current senior forward Shayna Back last fall. Wieand---who missed all of the 2006 campaign due to injury---is tied for third in the League in scoring while only Youngstown State's Lauren Brennan (seven) has more goals than Wieand this year.

Back is right behind Wieand on the team charts with five goals and three assists for 13 points, giving CSU the top scoring tandem (a total of 27 points) in the League. As a team, Cleveland State has already matched its goal output for all of last year (16 goals), while only Wright State (18) has hit the net more frequently than the Vikings in 2007.

Freshman goalkeeper Kelly Zinkiewich carries a 2.41 goals-against average after her eight-save effort on Sunday.

Cleveland State begins a four-match road swing Friday at Loyola before traveling to Wright State on Sunday. The Vikings do not play at home again until an Oct. 21 date versus Valparaiso.

Penguins' attack sputters
Youngstown State moved to 1-9-1 after Sunday's 3-0 loss to Canisius. The Penguins played St. Francis (Pa.) to a scoreless draw on Friday and reached halftime tied 0-0 Sunday before Canisius scored three second-half goals to claim the victory.

The Penguins have now been shut out in each of their last three matches and seven times in 11 contests this season.

Freshman forward Lauren Brennan remains atop the League scoring charts with seven goals and 16 points this season. The seven goals are already the most by a Penguin since Megan Gibson scored seven in 1999 and trail only Alicia Metz's school-record 13 in 1997 on the YSU all-time charts. Including her two assists, Brennan has played a role in nine of the team's ten goals in 2007.

Sophomore forward Jordan Gapczynski---a five-goal scorer in 2006---has only one marker in 2007, but took nine of the team's 19 shots in the two matches over the weekend.

Sophomore goalkeeper Caitlin Bodzioney returned to action with 11 saves Friday, her third double-digit effort of the year. Bodzioney leads the League with 86 stops this year.

YSU travels to Wisconsin for two matches this week, visiting Green Bay on Friday and playing at Milwaukee on Sunday.