The William Woods University women's soccer team hits the road for a Sunday afternoon matchup with non-conference opponent Lindenwood University-Belleville. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
Matchup
The Owls go into Sunday afternoon's contest with a 5-4-1 overall record, while the Lynx stand at a 4-3 mark.
Last Time Out
William Woods picked up an 8-0 victory on Wednesday night over Harris-Stowe State University to remain at a perfect 2-0 in American Midwest Conference play. Senior
Stephanie Kirvan and junior
Ashley Deckard led the offense for the Owls, as Kirvan converted a penalty kick in the 63rd minute and added a free-kick goal in the 76th. Deckard picked up three assists on the night, all in the second half.
Hot Streak
Senior
Stephanie Kirvan continued her hot streak of late. The senior defender scored two goals in Wednesday's 8-0 victory over Harris-Stowe giving her a total of five goals in the last four games. Kirvan has a season total of six goals, which matches her career high set last season.
“The biggest factor in (Kirvan's) hot streak would be the adjustments we've made as a team,” said head coach
Randy Hall. “She is getting more involved and is finding those opportunities where she can have an impact. Stephanie is a very versatile player that can play all three lines in our formation and she does a good job in all of them.”
A Successful Week
On Sunday junior forward
Jamie Palermo will wrap up one of the busiest weeks in her William Woods athletic career.
On Monday and Tuesday Palermo participated in her first golf outing of the season at the WWU Fall Invitational. She finished in sixth place shooting a 160 (82-78; +16) during the two-day event to help William Woods claim the invitational title. On Wednesday Palermo was back in action on the soccer field and scored a goal in the 53rd minute in the 8-0 victory over Harris-Stowe.
“We are very lucky the fact that Jamie is a special athlete,” said Hall. “You worry (as a coach) about mental fatigue with such long days. She was spending four hours on the golf course and would come in during the evenings to our practices. But, she had the highest energy of anyone on the team the last two days and we are lucky that mental fatigue is not an issue. A big reason for that is because of Jamie's personality.”
National Rankings
William Woods ranks inside the top 50 in the NAIA in four different categories. The Owls rank 32nd in assists/game (2.20), 35th in total assists (22), 43rd in goals/game (2.90) and 46th in total goals (29).
Sophomore
Ashley Deckard ranks fourth in the NAIA in assists/game with 0.80 and sixth in total assist with eight.
Sharing The Wealth
Coach
Randy Hall's team has been a very balanced attack this season. The Owls have seven players with at least two goals and five players with at least two assists. Senior defender
Stephanie Kirvan leads WWU in goals with six, while sophomore
Ashley Deckard leads in assist with eight.
“It's fantastic to have all those different threats,” said Hall. “It makes us a difficult team to prepare for. Teams can't say 'If you shut this girl down then they will not succeed as a team.' They have to prepare for us as a team and face us all as one.”
A Look At Lindenwood University-Belleville
The Lynx come into Sunday's match with a 4-3 record overall on the year. Lindenwood University-Belleville is riding a two game winning streak and have won three of their last four.
LU-B has scored 16 goals on the season and is led by Makis Gomez with six goals. Kayla Thomas leads the team in assist with three. The defense has given up 15 goals on the year, averaging a total of 2.14 goals scored against per game.
Coaches Corner
“We played them (Lindenwood University-Belleville) last year and defeated them 4-1. Our hope is to at least attain that level of performance again. I'd say one of the interesting factors for me would be facing two of my former players from MacMurray. Miracle Bell graduated and is now an assistant at LU-B and Nora Nordike transferred there. So that is always interesting and fun, it's always great to see people from your past. They have six seniors and seven freshmen so it's good balance inside their 22.”
