FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations
SOMERS, Wis. (Sept. 3, 2013)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's and women's soccer squads open up the 2013 season this week, hosting a pair of non-conference doubleheaders at Wood Road Field.
The Ranger women's soccer team opens on Thursday against Ferris State University at 1:15 p.m. before hosting Michigan Tech University on Saturday at noon. The UW-P men open against Robert Morris University-Lake County on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. and face Saginaw Valley State University on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Live stats will be available for all home games this season. (Women's Link) (Men's Link)
About UW-Parkside women's soccer: The Rangers open the season ranked 19th in the nation after advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2012. UW-Parkside compiled a 14-5-1 mark, winning 11 of its final 13 games. During that run, the Rangers posted six consecutive shutouts and logged 686 minutes without allowing a goal.
About the Bulldogs: Ferris State finished 2012 with a 9-7-3 overall record and an 8-4-2 mark in GLIAC play. The Bulldogs' leading scorer Riley Wood returns after scoring eight goals and tally¬ing a team-best 18 points in 2012.
The Rangers and Bulldogs have met four times since 2001, with UW-Parkside owning a 4-0 record in those contests. The teams last met on Oct. 21, 2007 with the Rangers coming out on top 3-0.
About the Huskies: Michigan Tech begins its fourth season as a varsity program on Thursday against University of Minnesota-Crookston before heading to Wood Road Field. The Huskies captured the GLIAC title in 2012, compiling a 14-3-2 overall record and an 11-1-1 mark in conference play.
The Rangers and the nascent Huskies program have never met on the soccer pitch.
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 190-68-23 career mark, making six NCAA appearances and winning four GLVC Championships.
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, post¬ing a 23-1-4 record over the last 28 games at Wood Road Field. The lone loss was a 3-2 de¬feat 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 re¬peat 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: UW-P finished off last year with a 6-10-1 record after dropping its final four games of the season. Last year's leading point man Collin Monahan is now on the bench as an assistant but the Rangers return 65% of its offense from a year ago, including Jorge Ontiveros who finished the season tied with Monahan for the most goals on the team with six.
About the Eagles: RMU-Lake County finished the 2012 season with a 4-9 record. The Eagles posted a 3-3 mark at home in Waukegan, Ill. but were just 1-6 in road games. RMU-Lake County is not affiliated with the NCAA and is a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.
UW-Parkside is 3-0 against RMU-Lake County and owns a 7-0 mark against the various Robert Morris campuses in Illinois, holding a 3-0 edge against RMU-Chicago and a 1-0 advantage against RMU-Springfield. The Rangers and Eagles last met in the 2011 season opener on Sept. 3 with the Rangers blanking the visitors 6-0.
Around the world: UW-Parkside's roster includes players from four states and three 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 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 157-84-22 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.
