FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

SOMERS, Wis. (Oct. 9, 2013)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside soccer teams return home to the friendly confines of Wood Road Field this weekend, hosting University of Illinois Springfield on Friday before facing University of Southern Indiana on Saturday.

The Ranger women take on the Prairie Stars at 1:15 p.m. on Friday with the men hitting the pitch at 3:30 p.m. Sunday's doubleheader against the Screaming Eagles begins at noon with the women's game while the men are slated for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff.

About the UW-Parkside women's soccer team: The Rangers (6-2-2, 4-2-2 Great Lakes Valley Conference) return from a two-game road swing riding a four game unbeaten streak (3-0-1) posting a pair of shutouts last weekend. UW-Parkside battled to a 0-0 double overtime stalemate on Oct. 4 in Lebanon, Ill., against McKendree University before knocking off Bellarmine University 1-0 in overtime on Sunday as Kaela Hoecherl found the back of the net 27 seconds into overtime.

The goal was Hoecherl's third game-winner of the season. The junior forward leads the team in points (10) and goals (five). Emily Konior and Stephanie Barsuli each have four goals on the year while Jasmine Espino has three goals and three assists. Alex Johnson is the team's leading distributer with four assists on the season.

The pair of shutouts earned freshman goalkeeper Mallory Geurts GLVC Defensive Player of the Week and NSCAA National Player of the Week accolades for her performance during the two-match stretch, recording 14 saves. Geurts, who has made just 10 starts in her young collegiate career, has tallied five shutouts and owns a goals against average of 0.79.

About the Prairie Stars: Illinois Springfield (1-9, 0-8 GLVC) heads into Wisconsin looking to snap a nine-game slide. The Prairie Stars pummeled Hannibal-LaGrange University 7-0 in the season opener but have scored just four goals since then. UIS dropped a double overtime heartbreaker 3-2 to Saint Joseph's College on Oct. 4 as the Pumas scored in the 105th minute of play. In the game, UIS trailed 2-0 shortly after halftime before netting the contest a 2-2 with goals in the 53rd and 81st minutes. Illinois Springfield's hard luck continued on Sunday, falling 2-1 to the University of Indianapolis.

Five of the squad's 11 goals have come off the boot of Kim Tokarski who also has a pair of assists to her name. Nikki Auble is the only other Prairie Star with more than one goal, notching two on the season.

Paige Polonus is the squad's primary goalkeeper, starting nine of the team's 10 games. Polonus has tallied 69 saves on the year with a goals against average of 1.37.

The Rangers and Prairie Stars have met four times with UW-Parkside claiming all four games. UW-P downed UIS 1-0 on Oct. 12 last season at Wood Road Field.

About the Screaming Eagles: Southern Indiana (6-3-1, 4-3-1 GLVC) rolls into Friday's clash with Lewis having posted two shutouts in its last three games. The Eagles blanked William Jewell College 3-0 on the road on Sept. 29 while downing St. Joseph's by an identical score on Oct. 6. Sandwiched between the shutouts was a 1-0 overtime setback to the University of Indianapolis as the Greyhounds tallied the game's lone goal in the 93rd minute.

Madi Vellky leads USI in goals (four) and points (11) and is tied with Maura Hulme for the team lead in assists with three. Eight USI players have tallied a goal this season with Leslie Schapker, Natalie Geiger and Makenzie Brinker joining Vellky with multiple goals, each scoring twice on the season.

Jackie Lohmann is the primary netminder of the Eagles, starting all nine games and logging 35 saves. Lohmann owns a goals against average of 0.79 and has posted four shutouts on the year while playing a half in the squad's other shutout on the season.

The Rangers and Screaming Eagles have met 12 times since 2001 with UW-Parkside owning an 8-2-2 advantage. USI won last year's showdown 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 21 in Evansville with a goal in the 99th minute.

14 and Counting: Under head coach Troy Fabiano the Rangers have experienced 14 straight winning seasons a streak spanning all the way back to 1999, Fabiano's second year as coach. He currently owns a 196-70-25 career mark, making six NCAA appearances and winning four GLVC Championships. Fabiano is just four wins shy of joining the 200-win club. Only 20 NCAA Division II women's soccer coaches have eclipsed that mark, including 17 current coaches.

Three and Counting: UW-Parkside has made the NCAA Tournament the past three seasons and four of the last five years. The Rangers earned a berth to the Sweet 16 in both 2012 and 2010 while advancing to the second round in 2011.

Home Sweet Home: The Rangers have been nearly invincible at home in recent years, posting a 28-1-4 record over the last 33 games at Wood Road Field. The lone loss was a 3-2 defeat to Rockhurst on Oct. 28, 2012 in the GLVC Tournament. UW-Parkside is 5-0 at the friendly confines of Wood Road Field in 2013.

GLVC Preseason Rankings: The Rangers have been selected to place third in the 16-team GLVC according to the league's head coaches. Defending champion Quincy is projected to repeat the feat while William Jewell owns the No. 2 spot in the ranking. Bellarmine and Rockhurst round out the top five.

National Rankings: Two GLVC squads appear in the latest NSCAA Division II Top 25 Poll, released Tuesday. Quincy University climbs one spot to ninth while Truman State University drops two spots to No. 22. Rockhurst University continues to be just outside the Top 25 in the also receiving votes section.

About the UW-Parkside men's soccer team: The Rangers' (5-4-1, 4-4 GLVC) three-game win streak came to a halt on Sunday, allowing a pair of goals in a 15-minute stretch against Bellarmine in a 2-0 loss. Prior to that, the Rangers rolled University of Missouri-Saint Louis 1-0 on Sept. 27, Maryville University 4-1 on Sept. 29, and McKendree University 3-2 on Oct. 4.

The Rangers have been nearly perfect at Wood Road Field this season, posting a 4-0-1 in home games this season, including a 2-2 stalemate against the defending national runner-up Saginaw Valley State University on Sept. 7.

Ryan Shogren, Thomas Diehl and Milan Filipovic all lead the Rangers in scoring with three goals apiece with Antonio Gonzalez and Jorge Ontiveros finding the back of the net twice in 2013. Shogren additionally leads the team in assists with three while Diehl, Gonzalez and Ryan Yang all have multiple assists.

Marcos Perez has shouldered the majority of time in goal, making nine starts and netting 47 saves and two shutouts. The senior boats a goals against average of 1.33.

About the Prairie Stars: Illinois Springfield (5-6, 4-4 GLVC) comes to Wood Road Field after splitting games the past two weekends. The Prairie Stars earned a 1-0 victory over William Jewell on Sept. 27 before falling 4-0 to then No. 20 Rockhurst University two days later. Last weekend, UIS edged St. Joseph's 3-1 on Friday in the homecoming match before falling 3-1 to UIndy on Sunday.

Mark Czarny leads Illinois Springfield with four goals and nine points. Nikita Dafeey has three goals on the season while four players are tied for the team lead in assists with two.

Two goalies have seen significant action for UIS with Jack Turanchik making eight starts and collecting 33 saves with a goals against average of 1.13. EJ Kim has appeared in five games, making three starts and has logged 18 saves with a goals against average of 2.67.

UW-Parkside and Illinois Springfield have met 13 times with the Prairie Stars enjoying a 7-5-1 edge in the series. The Rangers won last year's encounter 2-1 on Oct. 12 in Somers.

About the Screaming Eagles: Southern Indiana (3-6-1, 2-6 GLVC) heads into Friday's clash with Lewis having lost five of its last six games. USI opened the season 2-1-1 before dropping five in a row, including three shutout losses. The Screaming Eagles rebounded on Sunday, posting a 3-2 victory over Saint Joseph's to snap the skid.

Caleb Mathers and Rush Dugger each have three goals on the season to guide the Eagles while Corey Fundenberger and Josh Weinzapfel have a pair of scores.

In goal, Jeffrey Neidlinger has started all 10 matches, tallying two shutouts and making 33 saves. He heads into the weekend with a goals against average of 1.39.

The Rangers and Screaming Eagles have met 24 times with UW-Parkside enjoying a 15-8-1 advantage in the series. USI has won the last three meetings, including a 3-1 victory in Evansville on Sept. 21, 2012.

Around the World: UW-Parkside's roster includes players from four states and four foreign countries. 14 players hail from the Badger State while four hail from Illinois. Minnesota and Michigan each claim a Ranger student-athlete while the squad boasts international players from France, Gambia, Germany and Serbia.

Z is for Zitzke: Jason Zitzke enters his 15th season as a member of the coaching staff and his third season as head coach. During the span, the UW-Parkside graduate and 2010 Hall of Fame Inductee owns a 162-88-23 record, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament and one GLVC Championship (2000).

National Rankings: Three GLVC squads appear in the NSCAA Division II Top 25 Poll with Rockhurst leading the way, jumping from 16th to No. 8. Lewis sunk three spots to 11th while Drury University plummets from No. 4 to No. 25.

GLVC Preseason Rankings: UW-Parkside was selected to finish 13th in the GLVC by the league's 16 head coaches. Defending champ Rockhurst secured 14 first place votes to secure the top spot followed by Drury. Quincy is third with Bellarmine and Lewis rounding out the top five. The top eight squads qualify for the GLVC Tournament that begins on Nov. 3.