FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University women's soccer team will kick-off the 2013 American Midwest Conference Tournament on Friday night, as they host No. 6-seed Lyon College. Game time for the matchup is set for 7 p.m.
William Woods (10-7-1, 7-2-1 AMC), ended the 2013 regular season by tying the school record for the most conference wins in a single season. The Owls will enter Friday night's First Round matchup as the No. 3 seed, their highest-seed since the 2010 season. WWU wrapped-up the seed with its season-ending 2-1 come-from-behind win at Missouri Baptist.
Lyon College (11-5-1, 6-4-0 AMC) has corralled the tournament's sixth-seed thanks to a three-game winning streak to close out the regular season. The Scots collected three consecutive road wins against the likes of Hannibal-LaGrange, Freed-Hardeman, and William Woods to gain the tournament's sixth spot. This year marks the second straight AMC Tournament appearance for the Scots, as they have now been able to qualify for the league's tournament in both of their seasons of AMC play.
Game Notes
We Meet AgainÂ
The matchup will be a repeat of a 2012 AMC Quarterfinal game that saw William Woods score a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind victory in Fulton, Mo. Jamie Palermo sparked the Owls to the win that night, as she collected her first-career hat trick.
Saving Her Best For The Scots
In three career games against Lyon College, junior Jamie Palermo has amassed five goals, the most against any opponent in her career. All five scores came last season, as she tallied a pair of goals at Lyon College to give WWU a 2-1 win, and followed that up with a hat trick performance against the Scots in the First Round of last year's AMC Tournament.
A Redeeming Quality
The Owls will be looking for redemption against the Scots in the tournament's first round, as Lyon College recorded a 1-0 victory over William Woods at Firley Field back on Oct. 19.
Double-Digit Scorers
The 2013 edition of the William Woods women's soccer team features a pair of double-digit goal scorers in junior Rachel Meyer, and sophomore Jordan McNamara.
McNamara leads the team with her 12 goals, while Meyer finished the regular season just one goal behind that total with 11. It marks the first time during the Randy Hall era that the Owls have had two double-digit scores in the same season.
She Also Passes
Jordan McNamara not only leads the team in goals, but she is also the team leader in assists with nine. The total is a season-best in her two-year career, and she leads the team in points with 33.
AMC Tournament Opening Facts
Opening the postseason at home has been very helpful for the Owls throughout the program's history. Since joining the American Midwest Conference in 1997, William Woods has played 13 opening round postseason tournament games in Fulton, and is a perfect 13-0 in those contests. The Owls have outscored their opponents 61-8, which includes last year's thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind win against Lyon College.
A Look At The Field
Columbia College will begin the 2013 AMC Women's Soccer Tournament as the No. 1 seed, hosting eighth-seed Freed-Hardeman University. Park University, the No. 2 seed, will host No. 7 seed Benedictine University at Springfield, and No. 4 Missouri Baptist University is hosting No. 5 Hannibal-LaGrange University to complete the first round.
The winner of the Columbia/Freed-Hardeman game will face the winner of the Missouri Baptist/Hannibal-LaGrange game. While the winner of the WWU/Lyon game, will face off against the winner of the Park/Benedictine at Springfield game. Higher seeds of those games in the semifinals will have earned the right to host, on Monday, Nov. 11. The championship is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 14.
Knowing Your Opponent – Lyon College
The Scots come into Friday's match as the No. 6 seed in the AMC with a 6-4-0 record in league play. Overall on the year, Lyon College is 11-5-0 on the year and ended the regular season with three straight road wins. Most recently, Lyon collected a 3-0 win at Freed-Hardeman University to close out the regular season.
Lyon College is an evenly distributed bunch when it comes to scoring, as they have three players that have scored eight or more goals. Monica Ayala and Maria Alonzo led the team with nine goals apiece, while Hannah Osmon is one off their pace with seven.
Defensively, the Scots have allowed 16 goals on the year. In conference play, Lyon College has given up six goals in 10 games, three of those coming in the 3-0 loss to Columbia College. The Scots ended the 2013 regular season by picking up a clean sheet in each of its final three games.
Series At A Glance
Lyon College leads the all-time series 3-2, thanks to its 1-0 victory at William Woods back on Oct. 19.
Check back with wwuowls.com for a recap of this and every game the Owls play during the 2013 AMC Tournament.
