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2005 Women's Soccer Seeding Release
Oakland earns top seed for 2005 Mid-Con Women’s Soccer Championship
Oakland's Kristi Swaving |
Valparaiso's Kendall Brown |
Southern Utah's Holly Davis |
Western Illinois' Ashley Hoch |
Oakland and Valparaiso shared the 2005 Mid-Continent Conference regular-season title, but it is the Golden Grizzlies who earn the top seed for the 2005 Mid-Con Women’s Soccer Championship by virtue of a 2-1 win over Valpo on Oct. 21. Southern Utah and Western Illinois will join the Golden Grizzlies and the Crusaders in the single-elimination tournament, which will be held at the ORU Soccer Complex Nov. 4 & 6 on the campus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla.
Oakland, a four-time tournament champion, is the top seed for the fourth time in school history. The Golden Grizzlies will face #4 seed Western Illinois at 4:30 p.m. Friday. The Westerwinds clinched their postseason spot virtue of IUPUI’s win over Oral Roberts on the final weekend of conference play. The other semifinal match up, which is slated to kickoff at 7 p.m., pits the #2 seed Valparaiso against #3 seed Southern Utah, a rematch of a 1-0 Thunderbirds win on Oct. 29. The tournament champion will receive the Mid-Con’s automatic berth to the NCAA Women’s College Cup.
Oakland (8-7-1, 4-2-0 Mid-Con) is a four-time Mid-Con champion looking to add another title to its collection. Head coach Nick O’Shea will lean on veteran offensive players Kristi Swaving (12 goals, 3 assists) and Marianne Samdal (6 g, 5 a) to lead the Golden Grizzlies to the Championship. Swaving enters the tourney ranked first in the Mid-Con in goals and points, while Samdal has been a solid offensive complement with 17 points. With 12 relief appearances this year, Kristi Vandeberghe has provided a spark off the bench for Oakland with 14 points (6 g, 2 a). On the defensive end, sophomore goaltender Jessica Howard recorded 73 saves and five shutouts on the way to eight wins. She’s supported by a talented backline led by Cat Panabaker, Kristi Mitchell and Kristi Smith.
Valparaiso (10-7-1, 4-2-0) is in the Mid-Con Championship for the fifth time in school history behind two outstanding freshmen and a propensity to protect its home field. Kendall Brown tied the Crusaders single-season record with 24 points and ranks second in the Mid-Con with 10 goals. Lori Johnson provided plenty of support to her classmate as she tallied six goals and two assists for 14 points. The two freshmen combined with senior Emily King (7 g, 5 a) to form a potent offensive trio capable of turning a game around at any time. The defense is led by sophomore goalkeeper Erin Murray, who has kept the opposition at bay with a1.14 goals against average and four shutouts. Defenders Courtney Rahrig, Jackie Thomas and Allison Swanson provide Murray with plenty of support in the backline.
Southern Utah (7-3-6, 3-1-2) is in the tournament field for the first time since 2002 on the heels of posting the best overall record in school history. Offensively the Thunderbirds are led by Tara Olson, who leads the team in goals (6), points (15) and game winning goals (3). Supporting her are Shaley Ipson (4 g, 2a), Brooklyn Phillips (3 g, 4 a) and Catherine Johnson (4 g, 1 a). The Thunderbirds’ resurgence has been led by defense as they allowed just 14 goals en route to a conference-best 0.80 goals against average. Sophomore goalkeeper Holly Davis owns a 0.81 goals against average to go along with 88 saves and five shutouts. Patrolling the area in front of her are solid defenders Ashley Denham and Liz Browning.
Western Illinois (9-5-3, 3-2-1) posted its best record in league play in school history under first-year head coach Kevin Sherry. The Westerwinds did it with offense as they lead the Mid-Con in goals (37), assists (34), points (108), goals per game (2.18) and assists per game (2.00), despite ranking fourth in shots (15.35). Ashley Hoch (6 g, 6 a) and Katelyn Wisner (7 g, 5 a) lead a potent offensive squad that has seen 11 players register at least one goal, which is tied for tops in the Mid-Con. Defensively, freshman keeper Loes Geurts has played like an upperclassman, posting seven wins, a 1.22 goals against average and three shutouts. Sherry has talented defenders in front of Geurts in Andrea Fernandez and Bess Rapp to take scoring chances away from the opposition.
Friday, November 4
#1 Oakland vs. #4 Western Illinois, 4:30 p.m.
#2 Valparaiso vs. #3 Southern Utah, 7 p.m.
Sunday, November 6
Winner of match #1 vs. Winner of match #2, 1 p.m.
 
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