RIPON, Wis. – St. Norbert, Carroll and Grinnell finished as tri-champions this season but it will be St. Norbert who hosts the 2011 Women’s Soccer Tournament which takes place November 4-5, 2011 in De Pere, Wis. Second seed Carroll will take on third seed Grinnell to kick things off at 11:00 a.m. on Friday before St. Norbert will host fourth seed Lawrence at 2:00 p.m. The winners of the two games will play at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday for a chance to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
This season Grinnell claimed its 10th conference championship, St. Norbert its eighth and Carroll’s sixth with St. Norbert winning the tiebreaker for the right to host. Earlier this season Carroll downed Grinnell 2-0 on October 23rd while St. Norbert and Lawrence played to a 0-0 draw on October 1st.
The Green Knights are in search of its first MWC Tournament title since 1997 and is backed by the best offense in the league, serving as host to the 2011 MWC Tournament. St. Norbert averages a conference-high 2.78 goals per game and has scored four or more goals five times this season. Katie Vanden Avond has been on a torrid pace for the Green Knights all season as she posted 26 goals and six assists to average 3.22 points per contest. The 26 goals ranks third most ever for a single season in the MWC. Katherine Larson ranks sixth in the league in both points (23) and goals (10) while Zoe Kurth adds nine points (three goals, five assists) from her defensive position. Sarah Platzer holds a 1.80 goals against average during the season which includes five shutouts and 10 wins.
After falling in the MWC Tournament finals in 2010 the Pioneers aim to get back on track and add to its five tournament championships since 1991. As a team Carroll ranks near the top of almost every offensive category including shots (third, 16.89/game), points (fourth, 5.61/game) and goals per game (third, 2.17). Adding to a potent offense is the best defense in the league where they are tops in goals allowed (20), goals allowed per game (1.11) and shutouts (eight). Sarah Tennant leads the Pioneers in points (17) and goals (eight) as she ranks in the top-10 of the MWC in both categories. Lauren Demski is second on the team with six goals and Kara Delie leads the team with five assists and also has chipped in four goals. A strong defensive core has enabled Carroll to stay in the offensive end and is held together by goalkeeper Taylor McLean. In 18 games this season McLean has four shutouts and a 1.18 goals against average, which leads the conference.
Grinnell is back in the tournament after missing the postseason last year and will work towards its first championship since running off three straight from 2004-2006. The Pioneers have netted the fourth most goals in the league (38) and average 2.24 goals per game. Patty Murphy-Geiss has a team-high 17 points (seven goals, three assists) in 14 games with two goals going as game winners. Murphy Geiss is an accurate shooter converting at over a 30% pace while teammate Sarah Jensen has scored four goals on only 13 shots (31%). Defensively Grinnell ranks second in the conference giving up only 21 goals which converts to a mere 1.24 goals per game. Jordan Young has appeared in 17 games and is third in the MWC with a 1.23 goals against average, making 62 saves.
Lawrence vaulted itself into the MWC Tournament on the last day of competition with a 3-1 win over Illinois C. and looks for a tournament championship for the second time in as many years. Mallory Koula is one of the most prolific goal scorers in the league and has found the back of the net 20 times this season and tallied 33 points, both third best in the MWC. Among Koula’s 20 goals are five game winning goals while setting a NCAA record with three goals in 42 seconds in an October game against Beloit. Keli Muchowski is second on the squad with three goals and has seven assists, which is the most in the league. Cassandra Burke started 17 games in net for Lawrence and posted a 2.30 goals against average and made 96 saves while recording three shutouts.
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