'Roos Get Set to Face Bison in Semifinal Round of the Summit League Tourney
11/3/2011 4:29:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The No. 3 Kangaroos will take on the No. 2 seed North Dakota State Bison (14-3-2, 7-1-1 SL). The Bison have compiled a 1-1-1 record in their two trips to the tournament, including a 3-1 victory over Western Illinois last season for their tournament title.
In the other semifinal match, regular season champion South Dakota State (12-5-2, 8-0-1 SL) will face the No. 4 seed and tournament-host Oakland (8-10-1, 6-2-1 SL) at 5 p.m. The winner of each contest will compete for the championship on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Scouting the Opponent
North Dakota State Bison: 14-3-2, (7-1-1 SL) as of 11/3
In what was a showdown for the regular season league crown, the Bison fell 3-1 to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on the road despite taking an earlier 1-0 lead.
It was NDSU's first defeat since losing to Idaho in the Montana Tournament on Sept. 11.
Players to Watch
The Bison squad features a balanced attack as 14 different players have scored at least once, led by forward Katie Tallas (6). As a team, they lead the league in total goals scored (37).
In addition, six different Bison players have earned Summit League Player of the Week awards (four offensive and two defensive) this season.
In the net, senior keeper Kalani Bertsch has given up 17 goals (0.91 goals-per-game) along with posting nine shutouts.
Head Coach
In his ninth season, Pete Cuadrado is the most successful coach in the program's history with a 92-61-17 record. After leading NDSU to its first Summit League tournament title and NCAA tournament appearance last season, Cuadrado will look to repeat the same success this time around.
The Series
The Kangaroos are 0-1-2 all-time against NDSU, including a 1-1 tie earlier in the season at home on Oct. 21. A score by junior defender Meagan Malloy during the 83rd minute put the Kangaroos up 1-0 late in the second half. A little over two minutes later, Bison sophomore Katie Tallas scored to tie the game. Coming in, both squads were riding a six-game winning streak.
What to Watch For
Cissell Knows About Postseason Success
In his first season with UMKC, head coach Chris Cissell has shown he was the right man for the job by vastly improving the women's soccer team in such a short period of time.
At William Jewell, he compiled a 279-92-21 overall record in 20 seasons as head coach of the men's and women's program, including three Final Four appearances (two with the men and one with the women) and eight NAIA National Tournament appearances.
With his experience, the Kangaroos will look to build on what has been a season full of milestones with a win over NDSU on Friday.
Defense will be Crucial
Last time out against the Bison, UMKC held the highest scoring team in league to one goal, which came late in the second half during the 85th minute.
Junior keeper Jami Finnell finished with six saves along with two team saves by UMKC. In the game, the UMKC defense will have to once again do a stellar job in stifling NDSU's balanced offensive attack.
Will Overtime Experience Pay Off?
In eight overtime games this season, three in league play, UMKC holds a 3-1-4 record. Now that they are in post-season play, the 'Roos will have a decided advantage over the Bison, who have only played in two overtime contests this season, including once against the Kangaroos.
If the game does go to overtime and no team scores, the game will be decided by a shootout.
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