?Roos Head to Oral Roberts in Hopes of Clinching a Spot in the Summit League Tourney
10/26/2011 5:51:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Against the Bison, the game resulted in a 1-1 tie. However, against the Jackrabbits, UMKC suffered a 1-0 defeat.
As a result, UMKC dropped to third in the league standings behind NDSU and SDSU.
Coming up, the 'Roos will have a chance to clinch their first Summit League tournament berth in school history with a tie against either Oral Roberts (6-9-2, 3-3-1 SL) or Southern Utah (2-11-3, 0-7 SL).
Although, if they drop both games, Oral Roberts must tie or lose one of their final two -or- Oakland must lose one or tie both of its final two to surpass UMKC.
Scouting the Opponent
Oral Roberts Golden Eagles: 6-9-2, (3-3-1 SL) as of 10/26
In the last four games, the Golden Eagles are 2-1-1 with victories over IUPUI and Western Illinois. The tie resulted in a 1-1 match with IPFW on Sunday, Oct. 23. Their lone defeat, however, came at the hands of Oakland in a 6-0 shutout.
As mentioned, if the Golden Eagles tie or lose one of their final two games along with a little help from UMKC, they will clinch a tournament berth.
Players to Watch
Coming in, senior midfielder Maria Grados leads the league in goals (8) and points (18). She also has two assists on the year.
In Week Nine, she collected her first career Summit League Offensive Player of the Week award after scoring two of her league-leading five game-winning goals to beat IUPUI and Western Illinois.
The Head Coach
In his fourth season, Ryan Bush holds a 23-27-2 (.442) record. During his tenure, Bush has increased the Golden Eagles record each year, including narrowly missing the league tournament with a 9-8-1 record last season.
As for this year, Bush has his team once again right in the thick of things heading down the stretch.
The Series
The 'Roos are 0-2 all-time against the Golden Eagles where they've been out-scored 6-1.
What to Watch For
Will a Season of First Continue?
As mentioned, if UMKC can get at least a tie in their final two games, it will clinch a spot in the league tournament for the first time in team history. If they do, it would add to the list of first for UMKC this season.
So far, UMKC has put together its first winning streak (six games), won its first Summit League road game (vs. IPFW on Oct. 2), more than doubled their win total from the past two seasons, and have a player score over five goals in a single season (Taylor Bare with seven).
Finnell Keeps on Trucking
Despite going winless last week, junior keeper Jami Finnell still performed like she has all season. In games against the top two teams in the league, she surrendered two goals (0.90 goal-average) and recorded 15 saves (.882).
Currently, Finnell has the second best save percentage (.826) along with the most saves (114) and saves per-game (6.71) amongst keepers in the league.
Bare is Due
In the last three games, UMKC's leading goal scorer (7) sophomore forward Taylor Bare has been held scoreless. However, she has recorded two assists during this stretch.
With two games remaining along with a conference tournament appearance in her sights, Bare will look to crank it up again beginning with Oral Roberts on Thursday night.
