FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations
SOMERS, Wis. (Sept. 18, 2013)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside soccer teams remain on the road this week, facing Quincy University on Friday night before squaring off against Great Lakes Valley Conference newcomer Truman State University on Sunday afternoon in Kirksville, Mo.
The Ranger women hit the pitch on Friday against Quincy at 5 p.m. with the men set to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. under the lights of Legends Stadium in Quincy, Ill. On Sunday, the women kickoff at noon with the men following at 2:30 p.m.
About UW-Parkside women's soccer: The Rangers (3-0-1, 1-0-1 GLVC) remain ranked 18th nationally and third in the Midwest Region after opening GLVC play last week with a win and a tie. UW-P dominated Saint Joseph's College in the league opener on Sept. 13, wowing the home crowd at Wood Road Field with a dominating 4-1 performance. Stephanie Barsuli tallied a pair of scores while Kaela Hoecherl and Alex Johnson also found the back of the net. Vianey Hernandez finished with a pair of assists.
Two days later, the Rangers played to a 0-0 double overtime stalemate with host University of Indianapolis. UW-P could not find the back of the net despite owning a 25-8 edge in shots including a 17-2 edge in shots on frame. Jasmine Espino had one of the closest shots of the contest, as her shot bounced off the goalposts.
The UIndy game was freshman goalkeeper Mallory Geurts' second shutout of her young career. Geurts has started all four games in net for the Rangers and owns a goals against average of 0.48.
About the Hawks: Quincy (3-0-1, 2-0 GLVC) also heads into Friday's tilt undefeated, posting three wins and one tie on the year. Quincy has yet to concede a goal in GLVC play, blanking University of Missouri-Saint Louis 1-0 on Sept. 13 before downing Maryville University 2-0 on Sunday. QU sits just behind the Rangers in the Midwest Region rankings, occupying the No. 4 position in the top ten.
The QU offense averages just a bit over a goal a game, having found the back of the net on five occasions this season. Jaclyn Mastroianni leads the team in goals (2) and points (5).
In goal, Jodi Chapie has notched three shutouts. Chapie has nine saves on the year and has a goals against average of 0.24.
Quincy and UW-Parkside have met 16 times since 2001 with the Rangers owning an 11-4-1 mark, having won the last two meetings. The two teams last met on Nov. 11, 2012 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Rangers received goals in the 74th and 82nd minutes to secure the 2-1 win.
About the Bulldogs: Truman State (3-1-1, 2-0 GLVC), ranked seventh in the Midwest Region, heads into the weekend having outscored its last three opponents by a 8-0 margin. The Bulldogs have yielded just one goal this season, dropping a 1-0 overtime match to then sixth-ranked Minnesota State University in the season opener.
Truman opened GLVC play with a 2-0 win over Maryville on Sept. 13 before picking up a win by an identical tally against host Missouri-St. Louis on Sunday. The Bulldogs returned to the pitch on Tuesday, dismantling non-conference foe Missouri Western State University 4-0. Seven Truman players have tallied at least a point this year with Alexis Heffernan leading the way with six points (2 goals, 2 assists).
In goal, Emily Bozdeck has tallied 25 saves and yielded just one goal. She owns a goals against average of 0.19 and has four shutouts to her name this season.
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 193-68-24 career mark, making six NCAA appearances and winning four GLVC Championships. Fabiano is just seven 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 26-1-4 record over the last 31 games at Wood Road Field. The lone loss was a 3-2 defeat to Rockhurst on Oct. 28, 2012 in the GLVC Tournament.
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.
About UW-Parkside men's soccer: The Rangers (2-1-1, 1-1 GLVC) look to rebound after suffering their first defeat of the season on Sunday against the University of Indianapolis. UW-Parkside scored a goal just one minute and 55 seconds into the contest against the Greyhounds with Thomas Diehl tallying his team-leading third goal of the season off an assist from Elliott Schultz. UIndy responded with the equalizer in the 84th minute before scoring the game-winner four minutes into double overtime.
Seven Rangers have scored at least a point this season with Diehl leading the way with three goals and six points. Antonio Gonzalez is the team's leading assist-man, having posted two on the season.
Since earning the starting role in goal, Marcos Perez has tallied 24 saves and owns a 1.14 goals against average.
About the Hawks: Quincy (3-2, 2-0 GLVC) heads into Friday coming off a 3-2 non-conference loss to Lindenwood University on Tuesday. The Hawks have yet to taste defeat inside the conference, downing UMSL 2-1 on Sept. 13 before edging Maryville 1-0 in overtime on Sunday as Pete Condol found the back of the net in the 93rd minute.
Ethan Venvertloh and Jordan Roberts lead the Hawks in scoring and points, both claiming three goals and seven points on the season.
Drew Duncan is QU's keeper, having logged all 453 minutes in goal. The junior has a goals against average of 1.79 having made 17 saves on the season and posting one shutout.
The Rangers and Hawks have battled on the soccer pitch 25 times, with the series deadlocked at 12-12-1. QU has won the last three in the series, including a 3-1 win on Oct. 14 last season.
About the Bulldogs: Truman State (3-1, 1-1 GLVC) heads into Friday's match against Lewis looking to regroup after falling 2-1 to UMSL on Sunday. The Bulldogs scored the game's first goal in the 65th minute before yielding the equalizer 10 minutes later. The Tritons sealed the Bulldogs' fate with the game-winner in the 88th minute. Prior to UMSL, Truman State steamrolled a pair of Iowa squads, downing Iowa Wesleyan University 11-0 in the opener and defeating Upper Iowa University 4-1 on Sept. 8 while opening GLVC action with a 2-0 win over Maryville.
Nick Tolmais leads the scoring attack with four goals and one assist on the season while Austin Hayden and Nick Franta have each netted three goals.
Drew Garrone has started all four games in goal for the Bulldogs, owning a 0.83 goals against average, having tallied 10 saves in 326 minutes of action.
UW-Parkside and Truman State have met 12 times with the Bulldogs owning a 7-5 edge in the series. The Rangers have won the last two meetings, earning a 2-1 win on Aug. 30, 2005 in Kirksville, Mo.
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 159-85-23 record, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament and one GLVC Championship (2000).
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.
