FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University women's soccer team looks to extend its recent winning streak to three games, as they host American Midwest Conference newcomer Freed-Hardeman University on Tuesday afternoon. Kickoff for the game, presented by Coldwell Banker, is set for 5 p.m.
William Woods (7-6-1, 4-1-1 AMC) had an outstanding weekend as they scored a pair of 9-0 wins against Stephens College and Williams Baptist College. The Owls defeated the Lady Eagles on Saturday morning in the annual senior day game and followed that up with a victory at Stephens College on Sunday morning. It was the first time this season that WWU posted back-to-back shutout wins, as they allowed just two shots on the entire weekend.
Freed-Hardeman (3-7-1, 2-3-1 AMC) is in the middle of its debut season in the AMC after moving from the TranSouth Conference. The Lady Lions have dropped three of their last four games going into Tuesday's affair. Most recently, FHU was shutout at Missouri Baptist 1-0 on Oct. 11. They have collected AMC wins over Williams Baptist and Harris-Stowe, while they have tied Hannibal-LaGrange.
Game Notes
Impressive Weekend
It was an extremely successful weekend for the William Woods University women's soccer team as they scored a pair of 9-0 victories over Stephens College and Williams Baptist College. The Owls had eight players record a goal this past weekend, five of which scored multiply goals.
Multi-Goal Scoring
The Owls had five players record multiply goals this past weekend. Jamie Palermo led the way with four, as she collected her second career hat trick on Saturday's win over Williams Baptist. Junior college transfer Rachel Meyer also collected four goals in the two games, as she scored a pair of goal each match. Jordan McNamara put in three goals, while seniors Katie Shikles and Jessica Varner each had a two-goal game this past weekend.
Handing Out The Assists
William Woods has collected 15 assists in its last two contests. Jordan McNamara handed out a team-high four assists in the team's matches against Williams Baptist College and Stephens College. Senior Ashley McCaffrey added three assists as she handed out a pair against the Lady Eagles on Saturday.
Filling The Stat Sheet
Forward Jordan McNamara has been able to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump this season for the Owls as she leads the team in both assists and goals. The Blue Springs, Mo., native has racked up 11 goals to go along with nine assists, both are single-season career-best.
Career-Best
Several Owls had career days this past weekend, but only one player was able to do it in front of her hometown crowd. Senior Katie Shikles scored a career-best two goals in one game against Stephens College in her hometown of Columbia, Mo. It's been a career year for Shikles this season as she has scored three goals this season.
Strong Comeback
Senior goalkeeper Kelly Abernathy returned to the goal for the first time since Aug. 31 on Saturday afternoon. After battling a slew of injuries this season, she was able to play a full 90 minutes and collected the 10th shutout of her career.
She followed that performance with 45-shutout minutes against Stephens College on Sunday afternoon.
National Rankings
William Woods has collected the ninth most assists this season in the NAIA with 39. Jordan McNamara leads the team in assists with nine, a total that is the 14th-most in the nation.
The Owls have also collected the 11th-most goals in the country as they have scored 47 in 14 games this season. McNamara's 11 goals puts her in 42nd in the NAIA.
Knowing Your Opponent – Freed-Hardeman
The Lady Lions are in their first season in the AMC after several years of being a part of the TranSouth Conference. FHU stands at 3-7-1 this season, while they have posted a 2-3-1 record in league play. Freed-Hardeman will be making its second trip to the Show Me State in just as many games on Tuesday as they lost took on Missouri Baptist in St. Louis, falling 1-0.
FHU has scored 22 goals in 11 games this season. Taylor Jenkins' five goals leads the team in that category, as four of her five goals have come in league play. She does have a hat trick to her credit this season, accomplishing the feat on Sept. 17 against Williams Baptist.
Defensively, Freed-Hardeman has allowed 24 goals this season. However, they have posted a pair of shutout wins against Harris-Stowe and Williams Baptist.
Series at a Glance
This will be the first-ever meeting between these two school.
