The University of Missouri-Rolla football and men's basketball games Saturday will be available on webcasts for fans to watch over the internet.

UMR's football game at Tiffin University is being provided by B2Networks and will show the game live beginning at 12:20 p.m. Central time; the kickoff is at 12:30 p.m. Central. The cost of the broadcast is $6 and can be paid on-line by credit card.

Fans can access the game by clicking to the B2Networks website and will need Windows Media Player or a high speed internet connection of at least 300 kilobytes per second in order to watch the game.

Meanwhile, the Miners' exhibition basketball game at Southeast Missouri State can be viewed through the Ohio Valley Conference's webcast of the game and can be viewed free of charge.

Fans can access the game by clicking to the OVC's webcast page and will need Windows Media Player in order to watch the game. The webcast will begin at 7:15 p.m., for the 7:30 p.m. contest in Cape Girardeau.

Posted by John Kean at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The University of Missouri-Rolla men's cross country team, which will seek a spot in the NCAA Division II Champonships this weekend, enters the Great Lakes Regional ranked at No. 24 in the new NCAA Division II rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Miners, who have been ranked among the top 25 teams in Division II since mid-September, will head to Edwardsville, Ill., Saturday for the regional meet. UMR will look to finish among the top four at the meet that will include seven teams currently ranked in the Top 25.

Grand Valley State, which has been at the top of the regional rankings all season, is fourth in the national poll followed by No. 7 Southern Indiana and 17th-ranked Northern Kentucky.

Wayne State (Mich.) comes in at No. 19, while Ashland is ranked 21st and Saginaw Valley State 23rd entering the meet. UMR, which has been as high as third in the region this year, is seventh heading into the meet.

Defending national champion Abilene Christian continues to head the rankings this week, followed by Adams State, Western State and Grand Valley State.

The NCAA Division II Championships are scheduled for Nov. 17 in Joplin, Mo.

USTFCCCA Division II Men's Cross Country Rankings (Oct. 31, 2007)
1. Abilene Christian
2. Adams State
3. Western State
4. Grand Valley State
5. Chico State
6. Minnesota State
7. Southern Indiana
8. Edinboro
9. Colorado School of Mines
10. Slippery Rock
11. Western Washington
12. Massachusetts-Lowell
13. Stonehill
14. Metropolitan State
15. New Mexico Highlands
16. Missouri Southern
17. Northern Kentucky
18. Southwest Baptist
19. Wayne State (Mich.)
20. Ashland
21. Southern Connecticut State
22. Augustana (S.D.)
23. Saginaw Valley State
24. Missouri-Rolla
25. Minnesota-Duluth

Posted by John Kean at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Maddie Owak

The Lady Miner volleyball team was knocked off Tuesday night by the University of Missouri-St. Louis by a 3-0 count in its final home game of the season at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

The Tritons won the match by scores of 30-20, 30-19 and 30-22 to clinch a berth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament that takes place next weekend.

UMSL grabbed an early six-point lead in the first game, but UMR rallied back and tied the score at 15 on a kill by Lynsey Jorgenson. But the Lady Miners weren't able to get over the hump in the opener, as the Tritons scored the next three points and were able to pull away with a 7-1 run later in the game.

A 6-0 run by the Lady Miners early in game two on Bridget Williams' serve allowed UMR to build an 8-4 lead out of the gate, but the Tritons scored nine of the next 11 points ater calling a timeout to go ahead for good.

UMR scored the initial point in the third game on a kill by Maddie Owak and then were even at five after a kill by Ashlyn Balensiefer. However, UMSL scored three straight to go back in front and gradually extended the lead throughout the decisive game.

Leandra Pelae led the Lady Miners with 11 kills on the night while Owak recorded nine. Balensiefer finished with 23 assists and Bridget Williams made 22 digs in the contest for UMR, who will play its final three games on the road beginning Friday night at Southern Indiana.

Posted by John Kean at 09:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Remember the old adage that games are won and lost on the line of scrimmage?

The Miners certainly took that to heart Saturday afternoon, as they took control of the contest over the final three quarters and scored 38 unanswered points to record a 48-10 win over Lincoln on Hall of Fame Day at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.

UMR pounded out 268 yards on the ground, the most in a game since it had 271 two seasons ago in a victory over Peru State. Miner running backs Jerome Miller and David Shields were the beneficiaries of the work done by the Miner offensive line that busted open holes all day, as Miller finished with 106 yards on 18 carries and Shields picked up 102 yards on 13 carries.

It marked the first time in 10 seasons that two Miners went over the 100-yard mark in the same game.

For the afternoon, the Miners had 460 yards of total offense and averaged six yards per play; the average was 8.4 per play until the final two possessions when UMR kept the ball on the ground to run the clock out.

On the other side, the Miner defense held Lincoln to just 168 yards on the afternoon, including just 58 in the final three quarters. The Miners also forced three Lincoln turnovers with a fumble and interceptions by Robbie Woodard and Phillip Tillman.

The Blue Tigers got on the scoreboard first, however, by taking advantage of the Miners' only turnover of the day. UMR had stopped Lincoln on fourth-and-goal at the one when Oliver Carter crashed the line and stopped Darius Baker for a loss, but Steve Watson fumbled the snap two plays later and the Blue Tigers recovered it on UMR's one-yard line. Baker scored on the next play to put Lincoln in front.

UMR came right back when Ashton Gronewold -- one of 15 Miner seniors playing in their final home game -- returned the ensuing kickoff back to the Lincoln 38. Watson finished a three-play drive by throwing a 24-yard scoring pass to Bryan Crider to tie the game at seven.

Lincoln's Kevin Brown fumbled away the kickoff at his own 26, but the Miners had to settle for a 29-yard field goal from Tim Valencia to take a 10-7 lead. The Blue Tigers answered back with a 35-yard field goal from Charles Christensen to even the contest again at 10.

The Miners took over matters from that point, starting the next time they got the football. UMR moved 64 yards for the go-ahead score when Chad Shockley caught a six-yard scoring pass from Watson, then Jamel Anderson blocked a 47-yard field goal attempt by Christensen to halt Lincoln's next drive.

UMR needed just 2:13 to cover 65 yards, with Shields running for 14 yards and catching a pass for 18 to set up a 16-yard touchdown pass from Watson to Gronewold with 9:21 left in the half. The scoring catch was Gronewold's 50th as a Miner, making him the sixth player in NCAA Division II history with 50 touchdown receptions.

Valencia closed out the first half scoring by booting a 26-yard field goal just before the half ended to give UMR a 27-10 halftime lead.

The Miners smothered the Blue Tiger offense in the second half, as Lincoln managed only 36 yards after the intermission. Meanwhile, the Miners continued to pound the Blue Tigers on the ground, extending the lead on a 22-yard scoring run by Miller and a seven-yard touchdown run by Shields.

Reserve quarterback Matt Sachtleben closed out the scoring by running seven yards on a bootleg for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Watson completed 16-of-22 passes on the afternoon for 165 yards and three scores, with Gronewold catching a team-high five passes. UMR had three players with over 120 all-purpose yards, as Shields finished with 169, Gronewold with 139 and Miller with 121.

UMR had the ball for 37:35 in the game as it scored 40 or more points in back-to-back home games for the first time since 1923.

Linebacker Steve Edwards led the Miner defense with seven tackles.

The Miners will head to the road for their final two games of the 2007 season, beginning next Saturday at Tiffin.

Posted by John Kean at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Lady Miner volleyball team lost a 3-0 decision Saturday afternoon at Rockhurst University, as the Hawks took the games by scores of 30-13, 30-10 and 30-23 at Mason-Halpin Fieldhouse.

UMR was within three points in game one after Lynsey Jorgenson's kill made the score 9-6, but Rockhurst scored 15 of the next 18 points to pull away. The Hawks continued that run at the start of game two as well as they posted the first nine points.

The Lady Miners fell behind 7-2 to open the third game, but tied it at nine with a 5-0 run on Leandra Pelae's serve. Rockhurst regained the lead and pushed it back out to seven points, but UMR clawed back and closed to within three at 21-18. Jessica Laughary's kill made it 23-20 before Rockhurst scored three straight to go back up by six.

A kill by Samantha Klump, followed by a Rockhurst attack error and a another kill by Klump drew UMR to within three again at 26-23, but the Hawks scored the final four points of the game.

Pelae, Jorgenson and Klump all had six kills apiece for UMR, while Ashlyn Balensiefer recorded 24 assists and Bridget WIlliams finished with 14 digs.

UMR will close out its home schedule Tuesday with a game against Missouri-St. Louis at 7 p.m. at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

Posted by John Kean at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

UMR seniors (from left) Erin Rouse, Sarah Herrig, Jaime Pierce, Beth Babb & Janine Einhellig

A chilly, damp night at the UMR Soccer Field didn't keep the Lady Miners from finishing their season on a high note, as UMR posted a season-ending shutout victory for the second year in a row with a 2-0 win over Missouri Baptist Friday night.

The Lady Miners grabbed the early lead when Marci Byrd converted a penalty kick at the 16:42 mark, a chance she received after being taken down inside the penalty area.

UMR made that goal hold up for the better part of 60 minutes, until adding to the lead when a pair of seniors got in on the scoring. Beth Babb, one of five seniors playing in their last game Friday, got by her defender and had her shot stopped by MBU goalkeeper Meagan Roberts, but fellow senior Jaime Pierce followed up the play and knocked in the rebound to double UMR's lead.

The Lady Miners outshot Missouri Baptist 15-11 on the night, with Kelsey Kurilla and Catherine Swift combining for four saves in the shutout.

UMR finished the year with a 6-12-1 record, recording its most victories in a year since 2003.

Posted by John Kean at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Lady Miner volleyball team split the first two games of its match Friday night at Drury, but the Panthers took control of the match after the intermission to take a 3-1 decision from UMR at Weiser Gym.

After the Panthers won the first game 30-24, the Lady Miners bounced back and took the second game by a 30-22 count. But unlike the first meeting between the teams that went along the same route up to the intermission, the Panthers took the final two games by scores of 30-11 and 30-16.

UMR had leads at various points in game one, with its last lead of 20-19 on a kill by Katie Herington. The Lady Miners fell behind again, but caught up at 21 on a kill by Leandra Pelae, at 22 when Lauren Summerville came up with a kill and again at 23 on another kill by Pelae. However, the Panthers scored seven of the final eight points to take the game.

The Lady Miners bounced back in game two, going ahead for good at 5-4 on Lynsey Jorgenson's kill. UMR continued to build on that lead and went up by as many as 10 at 24-14 on a block by Jorgenson and Ashlyn Balensiefer. Samantha Klump's kill finished off the win for UMR.

But after the intermission, Drury built a quick 10-point lead in game three and only allowed that lead to get under double figures once. The Panthers then went ahead by 11 in the early portion of the fourth game and after UMR got to within seven at 16-9 on a kill by Jessica Laughary, Drury was able to pull away to wrap up the match.

Jorgenson led UMR with 11 kills in the match while Summerville finished with 10. Balensiefer had 35 assists in the contest while Bridget Williams was credited with a team-high 18 digs.

Balensiefer and Williams also had two services aces apiece.

UMR will face Rockhurst Saturday in Kansas City, Mo., in a 4 p.m. match.

Posted by John Kean at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

ROLLA, Mo. -- Three individuals who finished their careers at the top of the career charts in their respective sports and the only University of Missouri-Rolla track and field team to win a conference championship make up this year’s MSM-UMR Athletic Hall of Fame class that will be inducted this weekend.

The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place at Matt’s Steakhouse in Rolla at 11 a.m. Saturday and this year’s induction class will also be honored at halftime of the Miners’ football game Saturday afternoon against Lincoln University. The football game starts at 3 p.m. at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.

This year’s class of inductees includes:

KRISTY (WEBER) MEYERS (Class of 1991): Meyers was one of the top pitchers in the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association during a period where the Lady Miners were among the top teams in the conference. She helped lead the team to the top record in the conference in 1988 and to finishes of third and second in the MIAA Tournaments in back-to-back seasons. The 1987 “Freshman of the Year” and all-league performer in the MIAA, Meyers won 47 games in her four seasons, recorded 65 complete games and had a 1.72 earned run average for her career, all of which were the school’s top all-time marks when she finished her career. As a senior she was 16-3 in the circle and batted .381 for the MIAA runner-up.

KURT O’BRIEN (Class of 1991): O’Brien was a record-setting performer in two sports for the Miners during his career as a standout on both the soccer and track and field teams. In soccer, he established the school records for goals with 35, assists with 18 and points with 88. An all-conference and all-region player during his Miner career, he also set single-game marks with four goals and eight points in a 1987 victory over Bellarmine while leading the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association in scoring that season. As a member of the track and field team, he competed in the sprints and relays and was part of the record-setting mile relay team.

MARY (PUDLOWSKI) SIMON (Class of 1989): A four-year starter at point guard for the Lady Miners, Simon played a key role at that position as the team became one of the top teams in the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association in the late 1980s. She finished her career with 304 assists to establish the school’s all-time record in that category and also set the single-game record with 12 assists in a 1986 game against Northwest Missouri State -- UMR’s first-ever win over Northwest -- to help the Lady Miners achieve a No. 3 national ranking. During that 1986-87 season, she also set the single-season assist mark.

1948 MEN’S TRACK & FIELD TEAM (Team induction): The Miners’ 1948 track and field team took the MIAA indoor championship and came in second place at the MIAA Outdoor Championships, finishing just one-half point behind Southeast Missouri State in the team standings. MSM had four winning performances at the league’s indoor meet, led by Dave Ward’s titles in the broad jump and high hurdles. George Bock won the indoor shot put and Donald Smith doubled as the two-mile champion in both meets, while Harold Corbin won the high hurdles during the outdoor championships. William Kirk was the high-point performer with a win in the broad jump and second-place showings in both the 100- and 220-yard runs.

Posted by John Kean at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After finishing third over the weekend at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships, the University of Missouri-Rolla men's cross country team dropped six spots to No. 24 in the new NCAA Division II rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Miners, who are ranked for the sixth week in succession, finished behind Southern Indiana and Northern Kentucky at the conference meet over the weekend. Despite winning the meet, Southern Indiana fell from seventh to eighth this week while NKU vaulted over the Miners to the No. 17 spot in the new rankings.

Defending national champion Abilene Christian continues to head the rankings this week, followed by Adams State, Western State and Grand Valley State.

Grand Valley State will be among those that the Miners will contend with on Nov. 3 when they compete in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in Edwardsville, Ill. If UMR can finish among the top four teams at that meet, it will earn a berth to the NCAA Division II Championships in Joplin, Mo., on Nov. 17.

The Great Lakes region currently has six teams among the Top 25, including No. 20 Ashland and No. 23 Saginaw Valley State.

USTFCCCA Division II Men's Cross Country Rankings (Oct. 24, 2007)
1. Abilene Christian
2. Adams State
3. Western State
4. Grand Valley State
5. Slippery Rock
6. Chico State
7. Minnesota State
8. Southern Indiana
9. Edinboro
10. Colorado School of Mines
11. Western Washington
12. UMASS-Lowell
13. Stonehill
14. Metro State
15. New Mexico Highlands
16. Missouri Southern State
17. Northern Kentucky
18. Southwest Baptist
19. Wayne State University
20. Ashland
21. Southern Connecticut
22. Augustana (S.D.)
23. Saginaw Valley
24. Missouri-Rolla
25. Minnesota-Duluth

Posted by John Kean at 07:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Miner football team gathered both of the Great Lakes Football Conference weekly awards after its 44-28 victory Saturday over Central State, as quarterback Steve Watson and linebacker Jamel Anderson were named as its "Player of the Week."

Watson, a freshman quarterback making his fourth collegiate start Saturday, completed 23-of-39 passes for 271 yards and five touchdowns in the victory. He ended the game with 287 yards of total offense as he added 16 yards on the ground and had scoring passes of 10, 25 and 16 yards to Ashton Gronewold (who caught 12 passes for 154 yards in the game), 18 yards to Antonio Williams and 25 yards to Mike Greaving.

The scoring pass to Williams started a 21-point run by the Miners that put them ahead for good in the second quarter.

Anderson had seven solo stops and 13 tackles overall on the defensive side, including 1.5 tackles for a loss in the game. He also had a pass deflection and blocked two extra point attempts by the Marauders.

The Miners will host Lincoln University Saturday in their annual Hall of Fame Game -- which will also be their home finale -- at 3 p.m. at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.

Posted by John Kean at 07:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The annual UMR/Missouri S&T Basketball Tip-Off Dinner is scheduled to take place Monday, Nov. 5 at Matt's Steakhouse in Rolla.

The event, to honor the 2007-08 Miner and Lady Miner basketball teams who get their seasons started next month, will give fans an opportunity to meet the players for the upcoming campaign.

The event will begin with a cash bar at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $15 and can be purchased in the UMR athletics office.

UMR's men's team will start its season with an exhibition game at Southeast Missouri State two days prior to the dinner, with its regular season opener slated for Nov. 17 against Blackburn at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building. The Lady Miners' first game will be Nov. 23 in Lakewood, Colo., against Oklahoma Panhandle State'; its first home game will be on Dec. 29 against Ouachita Baptist.

Posted by John Kean at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The University of Missouri-Rolla softball team had eight members of its 2007 team named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's All-America scholar-athlete team for the last academic year.

The Lady Miners as a team were selected as well, as the squad posted a grade point average of 3.21 during the 2006-07 academic year. UMR was one of 62 schools with a grade point average of better than 3.0.

The eight individuals including junior second baseman Kandi Wieberg, who also earned All-America honors for her play on the field, junior first baseman Rachel Wilkinson, sophomore pitchers Jen O'Hara and Kaye Wibbenmeyer, sophomore infielder Casey Wilson and three freshmen, pitcher Ashley Wallingford, infielder Becky Davis and outfielder Krista Porterfield.

For an individual to qualify, she must have a 3.5 or better grade point average for the academic year.

UMR's softball team finished the 2007 season with a 29-18 record and earned a berth to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.

Posted by John Kean at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The hopes of the UMR men's soccer team ending the 2007 season with a five-game winning streak fell just short Sunday, as Southern Indiana got a goal late in the first half and made it hold up for a
1-0 win over the Miners Sunday afternoon.

Dan Dormeier's goal with 3:18 to go in the opening half turned out to be the only goal of the contest. The Miners had five shots in the second half, but wasn't able to get any of them on goal or by goalkeeper Brad Cadden to knot up the score.

UMR goalie Mike McNamee, a senior playing in his final game for the Miners, finished with six saves on the day. USI had a 16-12 edge in shots. Nick Landon led the Miners with three shots in the game.

The Miners finished the year with a record of 7-10-1 and were 4-9 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Posted by John Kean at 05:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The Lady Miner soccer team ended up on the short end of the score in its final Great Lakes Valley Conference contest of the 2007 season Sunday, falling 3-1 at Southern Indiana.

UMR ended the league season with a record of 2-10-1 and will take a 5-12-1 mark into its season finale Friday, when it hosts Missouri Baptist in a 6 p.m. game.

The Screaming Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the opening half on goals by Mallory Minor and Julie Collins, then the Lady Miners cut that lead in half when Brooke Ryan scored off an assist from Beth Babb at the 55:41 mark.

However, USI got that goal back 17 minutes later when Katie Grossman scored an unassisted goal.

Lady Miner goalkeepers Kelsey Kurilla and Catherine Swift finished the game with four saves apiece as USI finished with a 21-10 advantage in shots. Babb and Marci Byrd had three shots apiece for UMR.

Posted by John Kean at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jerome Miller

Usually when the Miners have won over the last four seasons, Ashton Gronewold has had a big hand in leading UMR to that victory.

While Gronewold had another big afternoon Saturday, a pair of freshmen were part of the lead act as well to lead the Miners to a 44-28 victory over Central State on Homecoming at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.

Quarterback Steve Watson, who was vaulted into the starter's role four weeks ago, had one of his biggest days in his young collegiate career by completing 23-of-39 passes for 271 yards and five touchdowns. He was aided by the running of redshirt freshman Jerome Miller, who had the Miners' biggest rushing day in over two seasons with 137 yards on the ground and a touchdown.

The Miners finished the day with a season-high 181 yards on the ground and had a total of 452 yards in the victory.

UMR got the lead on its opening possession by taking advantage of a big kickoff return by Antonio Williams into CSU territory. The Miners finished the 49-yard drive when Watson hit Gronewold for a 10-yard scoring pass at the 11:55.

The Miners got the ball right back on the kickoff, as Tim Valencia's short kick into a brisk wind fell between a pair of Central State players and Kirk Stilwell got to the ball to give UMR possession at the Marauder 35. On third down, Watson scrambled for a first down inside the 15, but had the ball knocked loose and CSU's Jerome Grant recovered it at the seven.

Central State took the ball 93 yards on 12 plays and ended the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run from quarterback Chris Clark, but the extra point was blocked by Jamel Anderson to allow the Miners to keep the lead at 7-6.

UMR extended its lead to 10-6 when it took advantage of a Keith Homco interception and got a 22-yard field goal from Valencia. But the Marauders came right back with a 64-yard scoring drive that culminated in a 13-yard scoring run by Derrick Moss for their first -- and what turned out to be their last -- lead of the afternoon.

The Miners regained the lead by driving 61 yards on 10 plays, as Watson hit Antonio Williams down the middle of the field for a 18-yard scoring pass with 5:11 left in the half. Then after forcing a three-and-out by CSU, the Miners scored again just over three minutes later when Watson hit Mike Greaving down the sideline for a 25-yard touchdown pass to give them a 24-12 lead that they would take to the intermission.

Watson fired his fourth scoring pass of the day on UMR's first possession of the second half as he threw a 16-yard scoring pass to Gronewold to put the Miners up 31-12 with 8:27 left in the third quarter.

The Marauders, who had little success in throwing the ball throughout the day, did get a big pass play for a score early in the fourth period when Clark hit Jerred Hill for 59 yards; a successful two-point conversion run by Moss made it 31-20.

UMR responded to that scoring by driving right back down the field, getting a 21-yard completion to Chad Shockley to get into Marauder territory and finishing the drive with Gronewold's third scoring catch of the day of 24 yards.

Central State cut into the lead again on a two-yard scoring run by VIctor Tolbert and a two-point conversion play at the 8:09 mark to make the score 38-28, but the Miners answered that scoring with another touchdown drive.

Miller started the drive with a 26-yard run, then finished the drive by going six yards for a touchdown to complete the scoring for the afternoon. The defense forced the Marauders to give up the ball on downs after a fumbled punt to ice the victory.

Gronewold finished the day with a season-high 12 catches for 154 yards and the three touchdowns; his first scoring catch of the day was his 50th career touchdown as a Miner. He ended the day with 220 all-purpose yards, marking the fifth time this season that he has surpassed the 200-yard mark in all-purpose yards.

Defensively, the Miners got 13 tackles from linebacker Jamel Anderson, who also had a pass breakup and two blocked extra point attempts. Matt Loula had two quarterback sacks and four tackles for a loss on the day, while Jon Landstra also had an interception for the Miners.

UMR will close out its home schedule next Saturday when it hosts Lincoln at 3 p.m. at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.

Posted by John Kean at 09:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Joffroi Holcombe

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The No. 18-ranked UMR men's cross country team posted its highest finish ever at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships Saturday since joining the league by placing third at the meet held at Butler University.

UMR got a 10th-place performance from senior Joffroi Holcombe as he earned all-conference honors for a finish among the top ten. Holcombe posted a time of 25:37 in the eight-kilometer race. He was one of three Miners to end up among the top 20 as he was followed by Chris Murray in 12th place in 25:43 and Kurt Schauwecker in 17th in 26:05.

Brendan Smith ended up 21st overall in 26:12 and Thomas Green rounded out the Miners' top five with a 26:36 mark for a 29th place finish.

The Miners finished behind seventh-ranked Southern Indiana -- who had the winning runner in Paul Jellema -- and No. 21 Northern Kentucky with a score of 89.

UMR will head back into competition Nov. 3 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in Edwardsville, Ill.

Complete meet results

Posted by John Kean at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lauren Summerville

The first Lady Miner volleyball game on Homecoming was spoiled Saturday as Quincy University handed UMR a 3-0 loss at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

The Hawks got away from UMR late in the first two games to win by scores of 30-24 and 30-23, then won a highly competitive third game by the score of 33-31.

UMR opened the night by scoring five of the first six points, going up 5-1 on an ace by Jessica Laughary. The Lady Miners continued to hold the lead until Quincy scored three straight points midway through the game to go up 17-16 and never trailed again. UMR was as close as 22-21 after a kill by Lauren Summerville but couldn't get any closer.

The Hawks never trailed in the second game although their lead was never larger than five points until the latter stages of the game. UMR pulled to within one at 18-17 on an ace by Leandra Pelae, but QU scored six of the next nine points to pull away for the seven-point win.

The final game was a nip-and-tuck affair from the start as neither team led by more than three points. UMR had that three-point advantage at 7-4 after a kill by Katie Herington, but the teams traded the lead on ten occasions in game three.

UMR had two game point opportunities, going up 30-29 and again at 31-30 but couldn't get the game-winner as the Hawks scored the final three points to win the match.

Pelae led UMR with 18 kills in the contest, while Summerville finished the night with eight and Samantha Klump with seven. Ashlyn Balensiefer had 42 assists and tied with Bridget Williams for the team-high in digs with 15, while Annie Smith had 10 digs in the contest.

UMR will play its next two games on the road, beginning Friday at Drury in a 7 p.m. match.

(Photo by Anna Whelan)

Posted by John Kean at 09:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Lady Miner cross country team competed Saturday at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships, with Kierra Handley posting the top finish among the UMR contingent.

Handley placed 49th in the six-kilometer race with a time of 24:48, while Dana Narconis was 63rd in 25:46. Rebecca McNally ended up in 68th place overall in 26:06 and Samantha Schussele rounded out the Lady Miner group in 85th in 27:48.

With only four runners in competition, the Lady Miners did not have enough runners to have a team score. A team must have five runners complete the race in order to have a team score and the Lady Miners' fifth runner was unable to compete in the race Saturday.

Wisconsin-Parkside, which had the individual winner in Jessica Lamp, won the GLVC title.

UMR will compete next at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Nov. 3 in Edwardsville, Ill.

0-0

Posted by John Kean at 08:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Matt Hug

Matt Hug broke a record that had stood since the 1980s, highlighting a dominant night for the Miner swimming team in its home opener as UMR routed Delta State by a count of 124-71 at the UMR Pool.

Hug topped the long-standing mark in the 200-yard freestyle, breaking a record that had stood for nearly two decades by three-tenths of a second with a time of 1:42.17. Hug later earned a second victory as he pulled away late in the race from Delta State's Fernando Reis in the 500-yard freestyle for a 14-second win in 4:38.77.

UMR swimmers had the best time in 10 of the 11 events Friday, with Reis being the only DSU swimmer to win a race as he took the 1,000-freestyle. The Miners started the night by winning the 400-yard medley relay as Kyle Kammer, David Calcara, Paul Reinisch and David Sanchez-Turner posted a time of 3:32.89, then Reinisch, Kyle Gordon, Sanchez-Turner and Matt Hug had the best time in the meet-closing 400-freestyle relay of 3:13.54.

Besides Hug's two wins, the Miners got individual victories from Mark Chamberlain in the 50-freestyle in 21.93 seconds, Jeff Enge in the 200-individual medley in 1:57.96, Zach Lemons in the 200-butterfly in 1:59.57, Gordon in the 100-free in 47.98 seconds and Kammer in the 200-backstroke in 1:55.27.

David Calcara also recorded the top time in the 200-breaststroke of 2:08.37.

Second place performances came from Andrew Trowbridge in the 1,000-freestyle in 9:59.06, Gordon in the 200-freestyle in 1:48, Reinisch in the 50-free in 22.44, Brian Howell in the 200-fly in 2:00.42, Chamberlain in the 100-freestyle in 48.72, Enge in the 200-backstroke in 1:56.08 and Zlatan Hamzic with the second-best mark in the 200-breaststroke of 2:11.67.

UMR also had third place showings from Danny Murphy in the 1,000 in 10:03.58 and 500-free in 4:53.06, Mitch Berggren in the 200-freestyle in 1:52.37 and 200-breaststroke in 2:16.45, Dustin Spieker in the 200-IM in 2:02.53, Sanchez-Turner in the 100-freestyle in 49.41 and Aaron Schmidt in the 200-backstroke in 2:00.91.

The Miners will be idle until Nov. 10 when it competes against defending NCAA Division II champion Drury in Springfield, Mo.

Posted by John Kean at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

OWENSBORO, Ky. -- After winning their last three games in overtime, the Miners took care of matters a lot sooner Friday afternoon as they tallied three first half goals to come away with a 3-1 victory at Kentucky Wesleyan in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

UMR, which extended its winning streak to a season-high four games, got goals from Sam Shaffer and Nick Landon in a span of 2:07 late in the first half to break a 1-1 tie. Once they got the lead for good, the Miners took care of matters from there as they outshot the Panthers by a 10-4 margin in the second half and allowed only two shots on goal after the intermission.

Andy Held got the Miners on the scoreboard with a goal at the 11:58 mark off an assist from Shaffer. KWC tied the score with over 20 minutes to go in the half on an unassisted goal by Joe Williams.

But UMR regained the lead when Shaffer scored for the first time this season as he took a pass from Nick Landon and got a shot by goalkeeper Andrew Minton at 35:22. Landon scored himself just over two minutes later when the Miners were awarded a penalty kick and he converted it to give UMR a 3-1 advantage that would hold up for the balance of the day.

Tom Lawton handled the goalkeeping duties for UMR Friday and was credited with five saves.

The Miners will wrap up the 2007 season Sunday with a 2:30 p.m. game against Southern Indiana in Evansville, Ind.

Posted by John Kean at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bridget Williams

The Lady Miner volleyball dropped the first of its two home matches over the Homecoming weekend on campus, falling in a 3-0 decision to No. 17-ranked Southern Illinois Edwardsville at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

The Cougars grabbed control of the contest in the early stages of each of the three games. The Lady Miners were able to trim a 12-point SIUE lead down to seven in the first game on a kill by Lynsey Jorgenson, but the Cougars scored the next four points to regain control of the game.

UMR was within two early in the second game on a block by Jorgenson, then a combined block by Lauren Summerville and Hope Mooberry got the SIUE lead down to 14-10 before the guests were able to extend their lead.

Leandra Pelae led the way with 15 kills in the contest, while Ashlyn Balensiefer recorded 22 assists and Bridget Williams had 18 digs for UMR, which will host Quincy at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

(Photo by Anna Whelan)

Posted by John Kean at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

OWENSBORO, Ky. -- Just two days after posting its biggest victory of the season at Missouri-St. Louis, the Lady Miner soccer team suffered a tough loss Friday when it fell at Kentucky Wesleyan by the score of 3-2.

UMR fell behind 1-0 in the opening half on a goal in the 20th minute by Kristen Chinn, but tied the contest 3:45 into the second half when Beth Babb scored off an assist by Janine Einhellig.

However, the Panthers scored twice in a span of 11 minutes midway through the second half to take the lead for good. KWC moved ahead on a goal by Nora Karvonen at the 63:21 mark, then Chinn, who assisted on Karvonen's go-ahead tally, posted her second goal of the contest at 74:33.

The Lady Miners were able to cut the lead to one on a goal by Morgan Lockowitz on an assist from Jenna Jeffryes with 8:56 to play, but couldn't come up with the game-tying goal after that.

UMR outshot the Panthers 16-12 in the game, with UMR netminder Kelsey Kurilla being credited with six saves.

The Lady Miners will play at Southern Indiana Sunday at noon in their final Great Lakes Valley Conference contest of the season.

Posted by John Kean at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Brandon Moore

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Brandon Moore assisted on the Miners' game-winning goals in each of their overtime victories over the past weekend. Wednesday night, he got to score the game-winner himself.

Moore scored both goals for UMR, including one on a penalty kick in the second overtime, as the Miners took their third straight decision in overtime with a 2-1 win at Missouri-St. Louis.

The third victory in succession matches the MIners' longest winning streak of the season and gave UMR its third win over UMSL in as many decisions since joining the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Moore put the Miners on top in the contest when he headed in Garrett Stevens' cross at the 13:31 mark. However, the Rivermen needed less than three minutes to even the score when Blair Spencer got to a ball on the corner kick that deflected off a UMR defender.

The contest remained tied from that point until the second overtime period. UMR held a 9-4 edge in shots at halftime, then the teams were even in shots with six apiece in the final 45 minutes of regulation time. The Miners had the only two shots in overtime, the second being Moore's penalty kick goal with 5:29 to go in the second extra period.

Mike McNamee finished with six saves in goal for UMR, which will head on a season-ending road trip that begins Friday with a 2:30 p.m. game at Kentucky Wesleyan.

Posted by John Kean at 09:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kelsey Kurilla

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- A couple of times this season, the Lady Miner soccer team has been able to get in front of teams in the opening half but not be able to hang on for the victory.

UMR altered that story Wednesday night, jumping out to a three-goal lead at Missouri-St. Louis and holding on for a 3-2 victory over the Tritons.

It was the Lady Miners' second win in the last week over a team in contention for a berth in the GLVC Tournament. UMR knocked off Saint Joseph's Friday and beat a Triton team Wednesday that entered the night in seventh place in the league standings; the top eight teams will make the conference tournament.

The Lady Miners took the lead 31 minutes into play when Janine Einhellig tapped in Morgan Lockowitz's corner kick, then extended the advantage to 2-0 with less than five minutes to go in the half when Tabitha Ausman got past a defender and put a shot past goalkeeper Mary Behrmann.

UMR pushed its lead to three goals almost immediately after the second half started, when Marci Byrd blasted in a shot from 15 yards away 1:34 into the half.

The Tritons started a comeback with two goals in a span of seven minutes, as Tara Reitz scored at 57:20 and Krisie Musenfechter made it 3-2 by converting a crossing pass at the 64:09 mark. But that was all the scoring the Tritons could get, as despite outshooting UMR 20-2 in the second half, they were stopped nine times by UMR goalkeeper Kelsey Kurilla.

The freshman goalie finished the night with 12 saves to give UMR its first win over UMSL in exactly seven years. The Lady Miners beat UMSL 2-1 on Oct. 17, 2000 in St. Louis.

UMR will play at Kentucky Wesleyan Friday at noon.

Posted by John Kean at 08:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The University of Missouri-Rolla men's cross country team will take a No. 18 national ranking into this weekend's Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships in Indianapolis, as noted in this week's NCAA Division II rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Miners enter the conference meet as the second-highest ranked team among those in the GLVC behind seventh-ranked Southern Indiana. Northern Kentucky is the only other league team in the Top 25 as it is ranked 21st this week.

It is the fifth straight week that the Miners are in the Top 25, with a high mark of No. 15 two weeks ago.

Defending national champion Abilene Christian continues to head the rankings this week, followed by Adams State, Western State and Grand Valley State.

USTFCCCA Division II Men's Cross Country Rankings (Oct. 17, 2007)
1. Abilene Christian
2. Adams State
3. Western State
4. Grand Valley State
5. Colorado School of Mines
6. Slippery Rock
7. Southern Indiana
8. Chico State
9. Edinboro
10. Massachusetts-Lowell
11. Western Washington
12. Minnesota State
13. Stonehill
14. New Mexico Highlands
15. Ashland
16. Southern Connecticut State
17. Alaska-Anchorage
18. Missouri-Rolla
19. Minnesota-Duluth
20. Southwest Baptist
21. Northern Kentucky
22. Metropolitan State
23. Hillsdale
24. Augustana
25. Saginaw Valley State

Posted by John Kean at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The Lady Miner volleyball team ran headlong into a match with a perennial power in the NCAA Division II ranks Tuesday night and came up on the short end of a 3-0 decision at the University of Central Missouri.

The Jennies, who are ranked ninth in the latest AVCA national rankings, won the three games by scores of 30-15, 30-12 and 30-21.

Central started quickly in each of the three games. UCM scored six of the first seven points in game one, then ran off six straight points after a Maddie Owak kill had cut the lead to 14-8. The Jennies opened up the second game with a 10-1 lead and UMR was able to get as close as seven on three different occasions.

The Lady Miners scored the first two points of game three on a kill by Owak and a block by Lynsey Jorgenson, but the Jennies posted the next nine points to go up for good. UMR got to within three at 12-9 on a combined block by Samantha Klump and Ashlyn Balensiefer.

Later in that game, a kill by Klump made the score 23-16 in UCM's favor, but four straight points by the Jennies kept the Lady Miners at bay.

Leandra Pelae had a team-high seven kills in the game while Balensiefer, Klump and Owak had five apiece. Balensiefer had 17 assists and 12 digs to lead the way in those departments, but it wasn't enough to offset the Jennies' .345 hitting percentage in the contest.

UMR returns home this weekend and will begin a two-game homestand Friday against No. 17 Southern Illinois Edwardsville at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

Posted by John Kean at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For the second time in three days, the Miner soccer team ended up in an overtime contest -- and came away a winner.

Daniel Stokes headed in Brandon Moore's corner kick with just under five minutes to play in the second overtime, giving UMR a 2-1 win over Indianapolis Sunday at the UMR Soccer Field.

Sunday's finish was similar in many ways to the one on Friday when the Miners beat Saint Joseph's in extra time. UMR was trying to hold onto a late lead only to give up the tying goal in the final minutes, then found a way to get the victory during the second overtime period.

The Miners took the lead in the first half as Andy Held completed a fine play by the Miners by heading in Brandon Moore's cross. Moore got a pass on the wing from Nick Mentesana and fed Held in front to redirect the ball past UIndy goalkeeper Matt Spaulding.

UMR gradually went into a defensive shell throughout the second half as the Greyhounds had the wind at their backs and was able to hold off several scoring chances throughout the final 45 minutes. However, with 7:18 to go, Brian Fishback got a diagonal pass and put a shot from the wing by Miner goalkeeper Mike McNamee to tie the contest.

McNamee, who was one of four seniors playing in his final home game Sunday, turned back nine shots on the afternoon.

UMR got a corner kick opportunity after Spaulding couldn't keep a ball inbounds after making a save midway through the second overtime. Moore, who had assists on both goals, put the ball to the far side of the net where Stokes was able to head it to the opposite corner to end the game.

Indianapolis had a 16-10 advantage in shots but had none after the first 90 minutes of play.

UMR will play three games on the road next week, starting Wednesday at Missouri-St. Louis at 7:30 p.m.

Posted by John Kean at 06:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The Lady Miner soccer team came out sluggish in the opening half and it proved to be costly Sunday as Indianapolis scored three times in the opening half and ended up with a 4-1 win at the UMR Soccer Field.

Indianapolis took advantage of UMR's slow start by scoring three times in the first 27 minutes of the game, including the first goal at the 4:26 mark when Caryn Nieman put a rebound by UMR goalkeeper Catherine Swift. The Lady Miners, however, tied the game 10 minutes later when Janine Einhellig took Marci Byrd's pass and hit a shot from the 18-yard line that went off the crossbar but into the net.

The Greyhounds got the lead back for good just under seven minutes later, when Ashley Seehase got to a loose ball in the open field before Swift could and had her shot to the far post go just wide -- only to be to tapped in by Jamie Huebner on the back side of the play.

Seehase then scored on a breakaway at the 26:26 mark to make it 3-1; she would also score again late in the contest to make the final margin.

The Lady Miners were outshot by a 21-13 margin in the game played in breezy conditions; goalkeepers Swift and Kelsey Kurilla combined to make five saves in the game.

UMR will play at Missouri-St. Louis Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the first of three road games to conclude its Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule.

Posted by John Kean at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

BETHANY, Okla. -- The Miners nearly dug themselves out of a 21-point hole in the second half, but their rally came up 10 yards short and Southern Nazarene came away with a 35-21 win over the Miners Saturday night.

UMR, which trailed 21-0 at halftime, closed the gap to seven at 28-21 and was driving for a potential game-tying score in the final minutes. The Miners got as close as the eight-yard line and had a fourth down pass from the SNU 10-yard line fall incomplete with 1:03 to go. The Crimson Storm's Branden Smith extended the lead to the final score when he raced 84 yards for a touchdown two plays after UMR lost the ball on downs.

In the opening half, the Miners had 155 yards of total offense but turned the ball over twice deep in Southern Nazarene territory. The Crimson Storm turned one of those turnovers and a missed UMR into scoring drives that allowed them to build the early lead.

SNU quarterback Tyler Schneider threw scoring passes of five yards to Jeremy Rogers and 18 yards to Jared Elmore sandwiched around a one-yard scoring run by Smith in the first half.

The Miners worked their way back into the game by utilizing a short passing game and the running of David Shields. Shields ran 56 yards into SNU territory to set up a Steve Watson 10-yard touchdown pass to Ashton Gronewold to get UMR on the scoreboard with 11:54 left in the third quarter.

UMR got to within a touchdown 1:20 into the fourth quarter when Shields capped an 80-yard scoring drive with a 10-yard run. Shields finished the evening with a career-high 119 yards on 16 carries, making him the first Miner to top the 100-yard mark in a game this season.

The teams traded punts after the Miner score, but on UMR's punt, Southern Nazarene's Coryan Briggs returned it down the sideline 88 yards for a touchdown to give the Crimson Storm a 14-point lead again.

However, Gronewold returned the ensuing kickoff -- a short kick into a 25-mile per hour wind -- back to the SNU 29 and then ended the drive by catching a four-yard scoring pass from Watson with 7:04 to go to get UMR back to within a touchdown.

UMR got the ball back at its own 48 with 3:11 to go and Watson completed three passes for first downs, the last to Bryan Crider that put the ball at the Crimson Storm 12. But after the first three plays netted just two yards, the Miners had to go for it on fourth down and Watson thew an incomplete pass to halt the drive.

Watson, making his third start at quarterback, completed 37-of-60 passes for a career-best 325 yards and the two scores. Gronewold and Mike Greaving each had 11 catches in the game, with Gronewold ending up with 105 yards in catches and 215 all-purpose yards on the night.

UMR had 317 yards of offense in the second half and finished the game with a 472-427 advantage in total yards.

The Miners will return home for the next two weeks, starting with next Saturday's Homecoming game against Central State at 1 p.m. at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.

Posted by John Kean at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Miner swimming team opened the 2007-08 season Saturday at the same location that it will finish the season in March -- the Mizzou Aquatics Center -- with a third place finish in the Show-Me Showdown at the University of Missouri.

The Miners finished with several individuals among the top 10 in various events throughout the afternoon as they finished ahead of everyone except for the host Tigers and Missouri State.

David Calcara had a strong showing in the 100-breaststroke with a time of 58.66 that won his heat and placed him third in the event and in the 50-breaststroke where he took fourth in 27.51.

Kyle Kammer took fifth in the 100-yard backstroke with a mark of 52.36 seconds as did Matt Hug in the 200-freestyle in 1:42.80 and freshman Zlatan Hamzik in the 100-breaststroke in 59.29.

Hamzik also finished sixth in the 50-breaststroke in 27.64, while Kammer was seventh in the 50-backstroke with a time of 24.79 and Paul Reinisch had a similar finish in the 50-butterfly in 23.94.

UMR also got a tenth place effort from Mitchell Berggren in 50-breaststroke as well with a time of 28.68 while Kyle Gordon, Berggren's high school teammate at Monarch High School in Louisville, Colo., had a mark of 22.24 in the 50-freestyle in his first collegiate meet, just ahead of Reinisch's mark of 22.28.

The Miners had a third-place showing from its 300-yard medley relay team of Kammer, Calcara, Paul Reinisch and Kyle Gordon in 2:33.81 as well as in a 200-yard medley relay with eight competitors in 1:27.29.

UMR's 200-yard freestyle relay team of Mark Chamberlain, Gordon, Hug and David Sanchez-Turner placed fourth with a time of 1:27.02 as did the 400-freestyle relay group of Gordon, Hug, Chamberlain and Sanchez-Turner in 3:15.94.

The Miners will host Delta State Friday at 5 p.m. at the UMR Pool as part of Homecoming weekend on the UMR campus.

Complete results from Missouri

Posted by John Kean at 09:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. -- The Lady Miner volleyball team made a game of it Saturday, extending the match into a fourth game and carrying that one beyond the 30-point mark before Lewis came away with a 3-1 win Saturday afternoon.

The Flyers won the first two games by scores of 30-21 and 30-22, but UMR took the third game with a strong finish by a 30-28 count. Lewis held off two Lady Miner game points, however, in game four and ended up taking a 33-31 decision to win the match.

After the Flyers had taken the first two games by the nine- and eight-point margins, the teams traded the lead throughout the third game. UMR had an early three-point lead, then the Flyers came back and went ahead by three at 22-19. The Lady Miners scored the next three points and tied the game at 22 on a kill by Samantha Klump.

Lewis regained the lead on a UMR service error, but the Lady Miners rattled off the next five points to build a 27-23 advantage on an ace by Bridget Williams.

UMR saw the Flyers close to within one after it reached game point, but Maddie Owak's kill finished off the victory to keep the game going.

The Lady Miners took a 10-8 lead in game four on a combined block by Lynsey Jorgenson and Lauren Summerville, but the Flyers used a 5-0 run to take a five-point lead at 17-12. UMR was able to claw back in it and went back in front 28-27 on a kill by Klump.

A kill by Balensiefer on the next point brought UMR to game point, but a pair of attack errors allowed the Flyers to tie the score. UMR went back in front on a kill by Klump, but Lewis scored the next two points and a kill by Jorgenson staved off a game point for the Flyers before a pair of kills ended the contest.

Leandra Pelae led UMR with 16 kills in the game, while Klump and Summerville had nine kills apiece. The Lady Miners finished the game with a .199 hitting percentage, including an impressive .378 mark in their game three win.

Balensiefer had 41 assists while Williams led the way in digs with 20. UMR also got 16 digs from Pelae and Balensiefer as it finished with 78 in the game.

The Lady Miners will face No. 9-ranked Central Missouri Tuesday in Warrensburg, Mo.

Posted by John Kean at 08:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Andy Held

The Miners were less than seven minutes away from winning their first Great Lakes Valley Conference game, but got the job done in overtime as Andy Held's goal with 3:49 left in the second extra period gave UMR a 2-1 win over Saint Joseph's Friday night at the UMR Soccer Field.

Held scored after Saint Joseph's goalkeeper Alex Makin lost control of Brandon Moore's cross from the end line. Held got to the loose ball and put it in to put the Miners into the win column in GLVC play.

After a scoreless opening half, UMR broke on top in the 14th minute after the intermission. Nick Landon got free down the sideline and fed a pass to Brad Hippisley in front, who redirected the ball past Makin to give UMR the lead.

That lead held up until the Miners were whistled for a foul outside the box with under seven minutes to go, leading to a free kick opportunity for the Pumas. Bojan Adler converted the chance at 83:35 to even the game at one.

UMR outshot the Pumas 6-2 in overtime and 31-17 in the contest, getting 10 shots on goal to SJC's six. Tom Lawton made five saves in the nets for the Miners.

UMR will wrap up its home schedule Sunday as it hosts Indianapolis in a 2:30 p.m. game at the UMR Soccer Field. The Miner seniors will be honored prior to the contest.

Posted by John Kean at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Melia Miller

Saint Joseph's is in the running for a spot in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament later this month, but the Lady Miner soccer team got the better of the Pumas Friday night as it posted a 1-0 victory at the UMR Soccer Field.

The victory, the first in GLVC play for UMR, came over a team that came into the contest in fourth place in the league and had wins over Rockhurst and Northern Kentucky on its resume this season.

However, the Lady Miners grabbed control of play right from the start of the contest as they outshot the Pumas 14-1 in the first 45 minutes. It was during that time when UMR got the only goal of the game, which came when Melia Miller put a shot past Sarah Croskey at point blank range at the 31:31 mark.

UMR's defense took over from there, keeping Saint Joseph's from getting a shot on goal until over 60 minutes had been played and keeping them at bay. Even though the Pumas did get seven