Women's Soccer Yote Notes - Edition 9
LAST WEEK: vs. Oregon Tech (W 4-0) – Cascade Conference Tournament semifinals
COMING UP: vs. No. 6 Concordia, Noon – CCC Tournament Championship
PLAYOFF GAME INFORMATION: The CCC Tournament championship game will be held at Simplot Stadium on Saturday. To get to the stadium take Exit 29 off I-84 and head south. Turn left on Cleveland Blvd., then left at Indiana Ave. (next signal), and the stadium will sit just ahead of you across Blaine Ave. Since this is a CCC event, no season passes will be accepted (except NAIA Membership Cards) – admission prices, set by the CCC, are $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for children 17-and-under. Due to a military event being held at adjacent O’Connor Fieldhouse, parking will be limited at the stadium.
LIVE STATS: If a wireless internet signal is available, the Lady Yote-Concordia women’s soccer match will have Live Stats available online at http://yotestats.i8.com/soccer/xlive.htm.
TITLE GAME COMES TO CALDWELL: For the first time in the 21-year history of women’s soccer at The College of Idaho, a championship game will come to Caldwell. The Lady Yotes, the top seed in the CCC Tournament will host second-seeded Concordia – with the automatic berth to the NAIA National Tournament going to the winner. It marks the first time in over a decade that the league title match has not been held in Portland.
TRULY DAVID VS. GOLIATH: For the Coyotes to advance to the National Tournament for the first time, they must go through one of the premier programs in all of NAIA Women’s Soccer – Concordia. The No. 6 ranked Cavaliers (17-2) lead the nation in wins this season, have won ten consecutive CCC titles (although the 2009 title is shared with the Lady Yotes), and advanced to eight-straight NAIA Tournaments – including a national runner-up finish in 2008. While the Coyotes debuted in the NAIA Top-25 last week, CU has been a mainstay in the Top-10 – having spent the past 76 weeks among the nation’s elite.
ABOUT CONCORDIA: The Cavs have rebounded since the 2-1 overtime loss to the Lady Yotes on Oct. 23, rolling to lopsided wins over Eastern Oregon and Corban – thanks to the play of All-American striker Jessica Ramback (17 goals, 5 assists), who leads the CCC in scoring and ranks third nationally in game-winning goals. It isn’t a one-player show, as Kaitlyn Tebbs (9 goals, 6 assists) and Shelby Bloodworth (7 goals, 2 assists) are outstanding finishers, while Sami Andrews (1 goal, 12 assists) leads the loop in helpers. Keeper Georgie Christensen (0.66 GAA 6 ShO) has been stellar in goal. It marks the 31st meeting between the teams all-time, with CU holding a 23-3-4 series edge, along with a 3-0 mark in postseason play – including a 3-0 victory over the Lady Yotes in the 2008 CCC title match.
IN THE PLAYOFFS: It is the seventh time in the 21 years of the program that the Lady Yotes have advanced to the postseason – losing opening round games in 1991, 1993, 2002, and 2006. In 2007, the squad advanced to the CCC Tournament semifinals, while reaching the CCC Championship game last season. All-time, The C of I has a 3-6 record during the playoffs – 3-3 under head coach Niki Taylor, winning their first postseason match each of the last two seasons and are 3-0 all-time at home during the playoffs.
LADY YOTES CLIMB TWO SPOTS TO NO. 20 IN NAIA POLL: A week after debuting in the national rankings for the first time in program history, The C of I climbed two spots to No. 20 in the latest NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll, released Tuesday afternoon by the national office in Kansas City, Mo. The squad earned a record 192 voter points in this week's balloting – 39 more points in the poll than a week ago. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) sits atop the poll, followed by defending national champion, Lee (Tenn.), Azusa Pacific (Calif.), William Carey (Miss.), and Martin Methodist (Tenn.). One other CCC team, No. 6 Concordia, was in the poll, while Carroll College, which handed the Lady Yotes one of their two losses, received votes.
NEW GOALS RECORD: With the four goals scored vs. Oregon Tech on Saturday, the Lady Yotes continued to up the single-season record for goals scored, ending the weekend with 46 – in just 16 matches What is impressive about the total is that it took The C of I 21 matches in 2002 to set the original record of 39 – while last season, it took the Coyotes 20 games to score 38 goals. A total of 12 different players have recorded at least one goal this season, while 17 different players have recorded at least a point – both new records. The Yotes have also established a new record for points scored in a season with 132 – blowing away the old mark of 120. The team is two assists off the school record of 42 set in 2002.
MOST WINS IN A SEASON: With 14 wins this year, the Lady Yotes have established a new record for wins in a season – breaking the mark set last season when The C of I had a 12-6-2 record. The team is also on pace to break the single-season win percentage record of .727 set back in 1989.
MOURITSEN CLIMBING THE GOALS SCORED LADDER: Striker Erika Mouritsen (Wellsville, Utah / Dixie State Coll.) has had a stellar rookie season with the Coyotes after a pair of great years at the Division II level. The junior currently ranks second in the CCC with 13 goals this year – the third-highest goals scored total in program history. Kristine Halter holds the record with 18 goals scored in 1993, while Becky Robertson scored 16 goals in 2001, and Alyssa Latham tallied 12 goals in 2002.
GAME RECAP: C OF I 4, OREGON TECH 0: Erika Mouritsen scored a pair of second half goals and Kelly Hardegree-Ullman (Boise, Idaho / Mountain View HS) made five saves as The C of I moved on to the CCC Tournament final, routing Oregon Tech, 4-0, Saturday at chilly Simplot Stadium. The win for the then No. 22 ranked Lady Yotes was their third-straight playoff opening win and improved to 3-0 all-time at home in the postseason. It was the 11th shutout victory of the season for the Purple and Gold. OIT had an early chance to take the lead, as Katie O'Brien ripped a one-timed shot from the right side of the box in the tenth minute, but Hardegree-Ullman made a diving save to her left, punching the ball clear. The Yotes would fuel off of it, scoring a pair of goals 82-seconds apart, to take control of the match. In the 19th minute, Colleen Smith (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) headed home a corner from Lauren Winterholler (Idaho Falls, Idaho / North Idaho CC) - going unmarked at the far post and cracking the ball untouched in the net. Moments later, Jessica Ayala (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) corralled a pass from Jamie Reichel (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS) after a nice run from Justine Hawkins (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS), and sent a rocket through the hands of Tech keeper Megan Ross to make it 2-0. Mouritsen took control in the second half, flicking home a nice cross from Ayala in the 49th minute, then blasting home a one-timed shot from the top of the 18 off a Taylor Culver (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS) feed in the 63rd minute to cap the scoring. The Yotes held a 20-10 edge in shots and a 5-4 edge in corner kicks.
ABOUT THE COACH: Niki Taylor is in her fourth season as head coach of The C of I women's soccer program. In her three seasons with the Coyotes, she has completely rebuilt the team into a contender, registering four-consecutive postseason appearances, an appearance in the 2007 CCC Tournament semifinals, and a spot in the 2008 CCC Tournament championship match. For her efforts, Taylor was named 2008 CCC Coach of the Year. She has an all-time record of 41-25-7, with the 41 wins the most by a women's soccer coach at The C of I. A graduate of Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., Taylor was an honorable mention all-conference player for the Bulldogs in 1999 and 2000, helping the squad to an NCAA Division II regional championships. She went on to assist coach Mike Cannon during the 2001 season, helping TSU to the regional finals, then moved West, where she was an assistant for Steve Lucas at Boise State for three seasons. She has also been involved with the Les Bois United Soccer Club for the past six years, while serving as a head coach in the Idaho Olympic Development Program – receiving her USSF "B" Coaching License. She is single and lives in Boise.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Coyote women’s soccer program, head to the official homepage of the Lady Yotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmenssoccer.htm.