Missouri S&T women's soccer coach Jon Kiester has announced that six players have signed national letters of intent to play soccer for the Lady Miners in the 2008 season.

This year's recruiting class includes two players each from the states of Missouri and Illinois, as well as players from Texas and Kansas. The signees are as follows:

SABRINA DRENNAN, a 5-9 defender-midfielder from Incarnate Word Academy in St. Louis, Mo.: Drennan played on a high school team last season that finished as the Missouri Class 3 runner-up, as she recorded three goals and five assists for 11 points. Two of her goals in the 2007 spring season were game-winning tallies. An honorable mention selection in the MWAA White Conference, Drennen has also played club soccer with the Missouri Premier team for coach Sterling Wescott. She plans to major in business at Missouri S&T.

SHELLY EKHOLM, 5-6 midfielder from Cy Springs High School in Houston, Texas: Ekholm is a four-year letterwinner who earned first-team all-district honors in each of the last three seasons. She was selected as her team's offensive most valuable player in 2006 and as her team's "Rookie of the Year" following her freshman year. In addition, she led her club team, the Westside Quest Stars in assists and finished as the team's second-leading scorer. She has been involved in numerous groups at her school, including the National Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Ekholm plans to major in architectural engineering.

HEATHER FERSTL, a 5-7 midfielder from Burlington Central High School in Elgin, Ill.: Ferstl was a three-time all-conference performer at the high school level and has led her team to two conference titles. She had five goals and four assists during the 2007 season for 14 points after scoring four times with four assists in 2006. Her high school team has gone 18-0-2 in conference play over the last two seasons. Ferstl has played club soccer for the KUFC Tempest squad in the Midwest Regional League. Ferstl plans to major in civil engineering.

PAIGE SMOTHERS, a 5-3 defender-midfielder from Marion High School in Marion, Ill.: Smothers is a two-time all-league selection in the South Seven Conference as as defender and has been one of the team's top offensive players from that position. She earned honorable mention all-section honors as well during her prep career. Smothers has played on the SMSC Sweepers club team for coach Justin McMullen and has also been a part of the Metro United team in the Super Y league. A member of the school's branch of the National Honor Society and Math Honor Society, Smothers plans to major in either civil or mechanical engineering at Missouri S&T.

LEAH WILLIAMS, a 5-6 forward from Free State High School in Lawrence, Kan.: Williams has been named to the Kansas Class 6A all-state team in each of the last two seasons, while also earning two all-region awards and three all-conference awards in the Sunflower League. Williams has also played club soccer with the Topeka Select Galaxy. She is ranked first in her academic class and has been a member of the school's branch of the National Honor Society as well as the principal's honor roll. Williams plans to major in engineering at Missouri S&T.

MELISSA YOUNG, a 5-9 midfielder from Helias High School in Jefferson City, Mo.: Young was an honorable mention all-state selection following the 2007 season in Missouri Class 2 while also earning all-region and all-district honors. Young, who led her team in scoring last season, has been a part of the Missouri Olympic Development program and has played club soccer with the Carrera Soccer Club for coach Paul Pitchford. She is ranked in the top 10 percent of her academic class and plans to major in engineering at Missouri S&T.

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The University of Missouri-Rolla women's soccer team was one of several NCAA Division II institutions named as recipients of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America team academic award for the 2006-07 school year.

A total of 409 teams nationwide, covering men's and women's teams from all three NCAA divisions and the NAIA, received the award on the basis of its team grade point average of at least 3.0. UMR was one of 42 schools at the NCAA Divison II level to have its women's team land the award.

The Lady Miner squad was also one of five in the Great Lakes Valley Conference to be honored. UMR was joined in the group by Bellarmine, Indianapolis, Northern Kentucky and Rockhurst.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 shots off in the second half, UMR kept their top scorer, Rachel Cobean, from getting a single shot in the game.

Kelsey Kurilla and Catherine Swift combined for the shutout, with Swift making three saves in the second half.

The Lady Miners will host Indianapolis at noon Sunday at the UMR Soccer Field.

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The University of Missouri-Rolla soccer teams are shooting to have the stands full Friday night as they host "Project 1000" at their doubleheader against Saint Joseph's College at the UMR Soccer Field.

The goal is to have at least 1,000 fans in attendance at the Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader against the Pumas, where the women's game will start at 5 p.m. and the men's game will follow at 7:30 p.m.

Free pizza, courtesy of UMR Corporate Club member Papa John's, will be available after the conclusion of the women's game while supplies last. In addition, the teams will give away a limited number of shirts prior to and at halftime of each of the games.

Posted by John Kean at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Janine Einhellig

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- The Lady Miner soccer team was able to grab a first half lead Sunday afternoon, but couldn't hold off a rally by Southern Illinois Edwardsville and ended up on the short end of a 2-1 decision.

UMR took the lead on Janine Einhellig's goal off an assist by Edwardsville native Rachel Wille with just under six minutes to play in the opeing half. It was part of a half in which the Lady Miners dominated the offensive play, outshooting the Cougars 7-1 in the first 45 minutes.

However, SIUE evened the score just 1:24 into the second half on a goal by Elizabeth Valenti, then got the eventual game-winning tally from Chelsey Johnston with 10:17 remaining.

Kelsey Kurilla, who was also playing in her hometown Sunday, played the first half in goal and was credited with one save. Catherine Swift made four saves in the second half in the nets for UMR.

The Lady Miners will play host to Saint Joseph's Friday in a 5 p.m. game at the UMR Soccer Field.

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QUINCY, Ill. -- The Lady Miners opened a weekend road trip on a down note, falling 3-0 to 17th-ranked Quincy University Friday night.

UMR was able to keep the Great Lakes Valley Conference's second-leading scorer, Becky Fleming, in check for the better part of the night. However, it was the Hawks' Jenna Boyko who did the damage as she scored all three goals for Quincy in the contest.

Boyko tallied goals at the 7:21 and 9:39 marks of the first half to give the Hawks a 2-0 halftime lead, then she scored again a little over 20 minutes into the second half to complete the scoring.

The Lady Miners had five shots in the contest to Quincy's 12. UMR goalkeeper Kelsey Kurilla was credited with four saves.

UMR will face Southern Illinois Edwardsville Sunday in a noon contest in Edwardsville, Ill.

Posted by John Kean at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- A trip outside the Great Lakes Valley Conference didn't change the Lady Miners' luck, as Saginaw Valley State handed UMR a 3-0 loss Saturday afternoon.

The Cardinals scored 33 seconds into the game to take a lead that it would carry into halftime, then got goals early and late in the second half to get the victory.

Saginaw Valley's Stephanie Roy scored the first goal, then Tammie Edmunds got a goal on a breakaway a little over 10 minutes into the second half to extend the lead. Kim Oberski's goal on a head ball with just under three minutes left wrapped up the scoring.

The Lady Miners were outshot 21-11 in the game but had nine shots on goal. Catherine Swift started the game in goal for UMR and was credited with five saves, while Kelsey Kurilla had one save in her 35 minutes of action. UMR also had three corner kick chances in the contest.

UMR (3-7-1) will return to action Friday when it faces Quincy in a 5 p.m. game in Quincy, Ill.

Posted by John Kean at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The University of Missouri-Rolla will host a college prep camp on Sunday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the UMR Soccer Field.

The camp is open to all players in grades 9-12 and will allow players to work on developing technical and tactical skills through the speed of play as well as in small-sided games before college coaches.

In addition, the camp participants will take part in sessions explaining the recruiting process, player development and the demands and expectations of student-athletes at the collegiate level.

The cost of the camp is $40 and all participants will receive a camp shirt. Those taking part will need to bring indoor and outdoor shoes, shin guards, a water bottle and appropriate attire for the weather.

For more information, contact UMR men's soccer coach Joe Ahearn at (573) 341-4102.

Click here for camp information

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

Morgan Lockowitz

The Lady Miners didn't come up with a goal Sunday against Bellarmine, but didn't allow the Knights to score either and got their first result in Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a 0-0 tie in double overtime at the UMR Soccer Field.

Bellarmine outshot the Lady Miners 18-13 for the game, but it was UMR that had the best scoring opportunity with just over 10 minutes to play in regulation time.

The Lady Miners were awarded a penalty kick when Morgan Lockowitz's crossing pass was knocked down by a hand ball. However, Erin Rouse's attempt went off the goal post and Lockowitz's attempt to score on the rebound was stopped by goalkeeper Alison Von Hoene.

UMR goalkeepers Kelsey Kurilla and Catherine Swift, who ended up playing nearly one-half of the game apiece, combined for seven saves.

The Lady Miners (3-6-1, 0-5-1 GLVC), who ended their five-game losing streak with the tie, will step outside the conference schedule for a week and will face Saginaw Valley State in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Posted by John Kean at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Beth Babb

After stunning Northern Kentucky in the first half by taking a two-goal lead into the intermission, the Lady Miners were unable to hold off the Norse's second half rally as NKU escaped from the UMR Soccer Field with a 3-2 win Friday night.

Northern Kentucky, ranked ninth in NCAA Division II, scored three times in the second half and got the game-winner with nearly 16 minutes to play to stay unbeaten on the season and prevent the Lady Miners from getting their first win in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

UMR got the early advantage when Beth Babb made a steal outside the penalty area and blasted a shot past NKU goalkeeper Jenna Kramer at the 15:49 mark.

The Lady Miners outshot the Norse 10-5 in the opening half and extended their lead with under eight minutes to go before halftime when Rachel Wille got to a ball in the box and put a ball by Kramer to give UMR its 2-0 lead that it would carry to halftime.

UMR had an opportunity to add to that lead early in the second half when Janine Einhellig headed a ball on a corner kick off the crossbar. Shortly after that missed chance, NKU got on the scoreboard when Megan Smith took a crossing pass and beat Kelsey Kurilla at the 56:39 mark.

The Lady Miners were able to hold onto that one-goal lead for just over 15 minutes, but in a span of just over two minutes, the lead changed hands.

First, Morgan Price headed in Amy Martini's corner kick to tie the game with 18:09 to go, then 2:08 after the tying goal, the Norse got what proved to be the game-winner when Ashley Warndorf knocked in a rebound.

NKU outshot the Lady Miners 18-16 in the game; UMR had six shots on goal in the contest. Kurilla was credited with eight saves on the night before Catherine Swift played the final eight-plus minutes.

UMR will return to action Sunday when it hosts Bellarmine in a noon game at the UMR Soccer Field.

Posted by John Kean at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. -- The Lady Miner soccer team has certainly shown that it can play on the level with teams in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. It just hasn't been able to squeeze out a victory since conference play started.

UMR dropped its fourth straight league game Sunday by a 2-1 score at Lewis, as the Flyers won the game on Courtney Kettel's penalty kick with just over 16 minutes to play.

After a scoreless first half, the Flyers grabbed the lead at the 52:55 mark on Amy Foran's unassisted goal.

UMR came back and tied the score a little more than 14 minutes later, as Brooke Ryan got to a loose ball at the top of the penalty area and blasted a shot past Andrea Iossi for her first goal of the year.

The Lady Miners outshot the Flyers by a 13-11 margin for the game, but it was Lewis that got the break to give it the lead. A foul by the Lady Miners in the box at 73:45 gave Lewis a penalty kick which Kettel converted to make it 2-1.

Kelsey Kurilla was credited with three saves in goal for UMR (3-5, 0-4 GLVC), which will return to action Friday when it hosts 12th-ranked Northern Kentucky at 5 p.m. at the UMR Soccer Field.

Posted by John Kean at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

KENOSHA, Wis. -- For the third straight game, the UMR women's soccer team held down a top team from the Great Lakes Valley Conference, but couldn't generate enough offense to get a result.

Meredith Novak's goal with just under 20 minutes to play was enough to give Wisconsin-Parkside a 1-0 victory over the Lady Miners Friday, sending UMR to its third straight one-goal defeat in league play.

The Lady Miners had the only shot on goal in the first half and finished the game with five overall to the Rangers' nine. They were able to thwart most of UW-Parkside's offensive chances, forcing it into nine corner kicks and drawing it offsides six times.

However, Novak got free in front of the goal and took Kelly Teeters' pass for the game-winning goal at the 70:44 mark. It was the second straight time that the Rangers have scored the only goal of the game in the latter stages of the game to beat UMR.

Kelsey Kurilla was credited with two saves in goal for UMR (3-4, 0-3 GLVC), who will play at Lewis Sunday at noon.

Posted by John Kean at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jaime Pierce

Time after time Tuesday night, the Lady Miner soccer team had chances to score. But a foot here, a foot there...

UMR's missed scoring opportunities came back to haunt it as it suffered its second straight one-goal loss, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Drury in a make-up contest at the UMR Soccer Complex.

The Lady Miners outshot the Panthers 19-12 in the game and had eight shots on goal to Drury's five. However, a shot by DU's Aly Reynolds just over 10 minutes into the game made it into the net and held up for the lone goal of the game.

Reynolds scored after the Lady Miners had cleared a ball out from in front of the net, but right to her and her return shot got past goalkeeper Kelsey Kurilla.

UMR had a 12-7 edge in shots in the opening half. Its best scoring chance in the first half came when Tabitha Ausman got loose on a breakaway, but was stopped by goalkeeper Jessie Sanderson.

The Lady Miners had a chance to tie in the second half as well, but had that attempt stopped by a defender at the goal line.

Kurilla finished with four saves in the contest for UMR (3-3, 0-2 GLVC), who will head to the road for a pair of conference tilts this weekend starting Friday afternoon at Wisconsin-Parkside.

Posted by John Kean at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Marci Byrd

The Lady Miner soccer team opened its conference season Sunday by playing arguably one of its best halves in recent memory.

Unfortunately, it wasn't able to keep up the pace in the second half as Rockhurst rallied for a 2-1 win over the Lady Miners in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game at the UMR Soccer Field.

The Lady Miners controlled play for a better part of the first half and outshot the Hawks 11-3. They also posted the only goal in the first 45 minutes, which came when Marci Byrd converted a free kick that caromed off the leg of a Rockhurst defender and past goalkeeper Alyssa Miller at the 34:28 mark.

Rockhurst tied the game in the early stages of the second half when Lisa Schwarz sprung Lindsey Ewert on a breakaway, then she beat goalkeeper Kelsey Kurilla at 54:32. Ewert then gave the Hawks the lead just over 15 minutes later when she took a pass from across the box and scored from about 15 yards away.

About two minutes after Ewert's go-ahead goal, the Lady Miners had a chance to tie it, but Morgan Lockowitz's head ball was stopped by a sprawling Miller.

UMR outshot the Hawks 22-13 for the game, with Kurilla finishing with six saves.

The Lady Miners (3-2, 0-1 GLVC) will face Drury in a make-up game Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the UMR Soccer Field.

Posted by John Kean at 08:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friday's soccer games between UMR and Drury have been postponed due to the weather conditions in the Rolla area. Strong thunderstorms, with heavy rain and lightning, have occurred throughout the morning and more storms are expected this afternoon and tonight. The area is currently under a flash flood watch through Sunday afternoon.

The Drury games have been rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 11, with the women's game starting at 5 p.m. and the men's game to follow at 7:30 p.m.

In addition, Saturday's youth soccer camp has also been postponed and will be rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 22 at 9 a.m. at the UMR Soccer Field.

Posted by John Kean at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Morgan Lockowitz

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Morgan Lockowitz came to UMR with a history of scoring goals -- and her arrival in the scoring column Sunday led the Lady Miners on their way to their third straight victory.

After spotting Upper Iowa two early goals, Lockowitz scored twice in a span of 2:04 early in the second half to tie the game and the Lady Miners added two more goals to post a 4-2 victory over Upper Iowa for their second straight win in the Drury Invitational.

The four goals were the most the Lady Miners have scored in a game since Oct. 22, 2004 when they beat Northwest Missouri State 5-0 and could not have come at a more opportune time with conference play right around the corner.

Upper Iowa took the early lead on goals by Jennifer Lee at the 8:04 mark and Lauren Smith at 9:28, both on plays right in front of the UMR net. The Peacocks held onto that 2-0 advantage for the balance of the half even though UMR outshot them 9-4.

Lockowitz, who scored 31 times as a high school senior at Wesclin High School in Illinois, got her first collegiate goal 5:35 into the second half when she scored from right in front of the net off a pass from Brooke Ryan. Lockowitz then tied the score just over two minutes later on another unassisted tally.

At 67:43 mark, Lockowitz got in on the scoring again, only this time it was to assist on what turned out to be the decisive goal. Her pass to Janine Einhellig in front of the goal was put home by the UMR junior to give the Lady Miners their first lead of the afternoon.

Erin Rouse added an insurance goal for converting a penalty kick at the 78:34 mark for the final margin.

UMR outshot Upper Iowa 17-5 in the game, as the Peacocks got only one shot off in the final 45 minutes. Catherine Swift and Kelsey Kurilla split the goalkeeping duties and combined to make two saves.

The Lady Miners, 3-1 on the season, return home to open Great Lakes Valley Conference play Friday against Drury at 5 p.m.

Posted by John Kean at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Marci Byrd

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Only on rare occasions does one see a soccer game where a team does not allow a shot.

But on Saturday, the Lady Miners prevented Oakland City from getting a shot at the net and came away with a 2-0 win on the first day of the Drury Invitational.

UMR outshot the Oaks 13-0 in the game and got a goal in each half to pick up its second straight victory.

Marci Byrd got the Lady Miners on the scoreboard just 4:20 into play when she converted a penalty kick. Erin Rouse extended the lead in the early minutes of the second half when she scored an unassisted goal from right in front of the net.

A trio of goalkeepers -- Catherine Swift, Kelsey Kurilla and Kristen Hoelzer -- combined for the shutout.

UMR will face Upper Iowa Sunday at 1 p.m.

(Photo by Steve Olson)

Posted by John Kean at 05:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Rachel Moore

The Lady Miners may have started out sluggish Sunday afternoon, but a strong finish netted them their first victory of the 2007 season.

Rachel Moore scored the tiebreaking goal with 4:17 remaining in the second half to give UMR a 2-1 win over Missouri Western at the UMR Soccer Field. The victory allowed UMR to even its record after it lost its season opener to Ashland Friday night.

Following a scoreless first half -- one where the Griffons had the better of play over the final 15 minutes -- the visitors got on the board after a Lady Miner mistake in the opening minutes of the second half.

UMR was called for a foul for a passback to the goalkeeper and on the ensuing free kick, the ball got to Meigan Soo in a crowd and she put it past Kelsey Kurilla to put the Griffons on top. The goal, however, got the Lady Miners ignited and they tied the score a little over 11 minutes later.

Marci Byrd's shot from the wing caromed off the crossbar, but Janine Einhellig was right there to head it in to knot the score with over 30 minutes remaining.

UMR started to gain control of the tempo and eventually got the game winning tally in the latter minutes.

A Lady Miner free kick was cleared out of the box by the Griffons but right out to Moore, who hammered a shot into the upper right corner to put UMR in front. The Lady Miners, who outshot the Griffons 23-10 in the game and 13-5 in the second half, did not allow Western a scoring chance once they got the lead.

Catherine Swift and Kurilla combined for five saves in the game while the Lady Miners got 13 of their 23 shots on goal.

UMR will play a pair of games over the Labor Day weekend at Drury University in Springfield, starting with a Saturday contest against Oakland City at noon.

Posted by John Kean at 05:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Melia Miller

The start of the 2007 season for the Lady Miners was delayed by rain, then a late rally effort fell short for UMR as it dropped a 3-1 decision Friday to Ashland at the UMR Soccer Field.

Severe thunderstorms that dropped nearly two inches of rain in the Rolla area Friday afternoon held up the start of the game for two hours, but the Lady Miners had a solid first half of play as they outshot the Eagles 10-9 and had a couple of good scoring opportunites.

However, it was Ashland's Beth Moor who came up with the only goal in the first 45 minutes as she took a cross from Courtney Schuster and put it past Kelsey Kurilla to give the Eagles a 1-0 halftime lead.

The game stayed that way well into the second half, which was played in a steady rain, until Kelly Usher pounced on a rebound of her own shot that was stopped by UMR goalkeeper Catherine Swift (who entered the contest at the start of the second half) and scored with just under 15 minutes to play to extend the lead.

UMR cut that lead in half thanks to a great individual effort by freshman midfielder Melia Miller. She took a feed from Brooke Ryan and dribbled past two Eagles to get free for a shot, which she hit past Marie Supanich with 6:01 to go.

But after making a brief surge in an effort to tie the game, the Eagles were able to put the game away when Dani Lamb got to a ball that got by Swift near the front of the penalty area and scored into an open net for the final score.

The Lady Miners outshot the Eagles 17-16 in the game. Kurilla and Swift combined to make eight saves on the nght.

UMR will host Missouri Western (0-1) Sunday at 2 p.m. The men's game between UMR and Ashland that was slated for Friday night was moved to Saturday at 1 p.m. at the UMR Soccer Field.

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University of Missouri-Rolla women's soccer coach Jon Kiester has announced that the Lady Miners have signed seven players to National Letters of Intent to play at UMR during the 2007 season.

The newest members of the Lady Miners are as follows:

TABITHA AUSMAN, a 5-5 forward from College Park High School in The Woodlands, Texas: Ausman serves as a captain for her high school team and is one of the top scorers for her team that is among the leaders in their district. She has played for the Challenge Soccer Club in the Houston area.

JENNA JEFFRYES, a 5-5 defender from Dimond High School in Anchrorage, Alaska: Jeffryes was an all-region honorable mention pick at the high school level, where she also earned the "Coach's Award" for her play. She was named honorable mention all-conference in 2006 in the Cook Inlet Conference and has also been a part of the Alaska Olympic Development Program and CSC Fury club team.

KELSEY KURILLA, a 5-6 goalkeeper from Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, Ill.: Kurilla recorded a 0.90 goals against average during the 2006 season and made 122 saves in over 1,200 minutes played. She finished the year with 10 shutouts. She earned second-team all-conference honors in the Southwestern Conference and was a second-team all-area pick by the Alton Telegraph. Kurilla posted a 0.77 goals against average in 2005 with seven shutouts. Kurilla also plays for the Metro United club team.

MORGAN LOCKOWITZ, a 5-8 midfielder-forward from Wesclin High School in Trenton, Ill.: Lockowitz was one of the top prep scorers in the St. Louis area last season, posting 31 goals -- seven of which were game-winners -- and 17 assists for 79 points. That performance, where she was the third-leading scorer in the area, earned her honorable mention all-metro honors in St. Louis as well as all-area and all-sectional honors. She was named as her team's most valuable player last season and as the recipient of the team's top offensive player award. Lockowitz had 14 goals and 11 assists for 39 points as a high school sophomore and had 18 goals and seven assists for 43 points in her freshman season. Lockowitz is also a member of the Metro United club team along with fellow UMR signee Kelsey Kurilla.

STACEY LUQUETTE, a 5-8 goalkeeper from St. Amant High School in St. Amant, La.: Luquette earned first-team all-metro and most valuable player honors for the 2007 season after being a second-team all-state selection and first-team all-district and all-metro selection in 2006. She has been an all-district pick in each of her four years at the high school level. She was named as her team's defensive most valuable player in the 2004 season when her team reached the District 5 semifinals. Academically, she ranks in the top five percent of her senior class and was selected to the NFCA All-America Scholar team in 2004. In addition, she was a member of the Louisiana Olympic Development Program team.

MELIA MILLER-OANA, a 5-4 midfielder from J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas: Miller-Oana was named to the all-district first team and was also selected as her team's "Newcomer of the Year" during her prep career. In addition, she played for the FC Dallas 89 club team and has been a member of the North Texas Olympic Development Program.

RACHEL WILLE, a 5-7 forward-midfielder from Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, Ill.: Wille is a four-year letterwinner at the high school level and finished with one assist in the 2006 season while playing primarily as a midfielder.

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Stephanie Schmucker

The final home game of the season turned into a showcase for the five Lady Miner seniors who were playing on the home pitch for the last time, as UMR shut out William Woods 3-0 Friday night at the UMR Soccer Field.

Danielle Lyman had a goal and an assist, Maggie Thompson had a goal and Brittany Parker, who on Thursday was named as the first team goalkeeper in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, got help from defenders Stephanie Schmucker and Emily O'Nan to post a combined shutout with Catherine Swift.

Lyman earned her assist on the first Lady Miner goal at the 17:56 mark, as she made a cross that Janine Einhellig headed in. Einhellig returned the favor just over 13 minutes later, as she sent a pass across the box for Lyman to redirect past Owl goalkeeper Kristen Antle.

At the 38:12 mark, Jaime Pierce made a pass through the defense to Thompson, who took off on a short breakaway and finished it with a shot to the far side of the net to give UMR a 3-0 advantage by halftime.

The Lady Miners were never really challenged by the Owls in the opening half as they held a 13-1 advantage in shots. Parker made the save on that shot and one in the second half before turning the game over to Swift with 28 minutes to go. Parker did play in the field for a period of time until each of the five Lady Miners seniors were brought out of the game one by one.

UMR finished the game with 17 shots to William Woods' six.

The Lady Miners finished the season with a 4-13-1 record but had four wins in their last five games. UMR was tenth in the 14-team Great Lakes Valley Conference with a 3-8-1 mark.

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Brittany Parker

Although the Lady Miner soccer team wasn't able to make the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, the league's coaches certainly recognized the work that Brittany Parker has done in goal for the Lady Miners this season.

The senior goalkeeper from Johnston, Iowa was named to the All-GLVC first team at her position Thursday, making Parker UMR's first player to earn all-conference laurels in all four seasons at the school. Parker was a second-team selection in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association as a freshman and an honorable mention pick in her sophomore year, then earned second-team all-league honors last year in UMR's first season as a member of the GLVC.

During the 2006 season -- which will conclude for the Lady Miners Friday night when they host William Woods at 7:30 p.m. at the UMR Soccer Field -- Parker has posted a 1.45 goals against average with 76 saves and one shutout in 1,367 minutes of playing time. For the season, the Lady Miners have allowed more than two goals in a game just twice in 17 contests.

Parker has nine career shutouts, which ranks fifth on the career list at UMR, and 410 saves which is good for third on the UMR all-time list. She enters her collegiate finale with a career goals against average of 1.78.

Regular season champion Quincy swept all of the major awards given out by the GLVC, as Becky Fleming was named as the league's top offensive player and top freshman, Laura Gentry was selected as the top defensive player and coach Dave Musso earned "Coach of the Year" honors.

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Janine Einhellig

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Lady Miner soccer team saw its three-game winning streak come to an end Sunday as Indianapolis' Sarah Jones scored in the 69th minute to give the Greyhounds a 2-1 win over UMR in the Great Lakes Valley Conference finale for both teams.

The Lady Miners were trying to spoil the Greyhounds' hopes of hosting a home game in the conference tournament and were able to get the score tied on Janine Einhellig's goal late in the first half, but Jones was able to redirect a crossing pass from Alli Opfer to break the 1-1 deadlock.

Indianapolis grabbed a 1-0 lead Ashley Seehase's goal at 24:42, but Einhellig took advantage of a misplay by the Greyhounds on a free kick, as the ball bounced in the box and she got a head on it to get it past Abby Tracy.

The Greyhounds had a 12-4 edge in shots on the afternoon; UMR goalkeeper Brittany Parker was able to make four saves in the contest for UMR, which fell to 3-13-1 overall and ended its second year of GLVC play with a 3-8-1 mark.

UMR finished in 10th place in the 14-team league race, an improvement of three spots over last year.

The Lady Miners will finish the 2006 season Friday with a 7:30 p.m. home game against William Woods at the UMR Soccer Complex.

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Erin Rouse

RENSSELAER, Ind. -- The Lady Miner soccer team probably don't want to play more than 90 minutes every night, but if that's what they need to win a game, they will gladly accept the extra time.

For the second straight game, UMR went beyond the 90-minute mark to get a victory, as Erin Rouse scored 4:21 into overtime to give the Lady Miners a 2-1 victory over Saint Joseph's for their third straight win.

Rouse converted the only shot taken by either team in overtime off a pass from Kim Morris to end the game. It was Rouse's second goal of the night and season, giving UMR its first three-game winning streak since its won four in a row in October 2003.

Saint Joseph's grabbed the lead on a goal by Rachel Cobean just 2:09 into play, but Rouse tied the score at the 20:24 mark when she scored off an assist from Sarah Herrig.

From there, it was up to UMR goalkeeper Brittany Parker to keep the Pumas at bay until the Lady Miners could score the winning goal. Saint Joseph's outshot UMR 15-9 in the game, including an 11-4 margin in the second half. Parker made nine saves in the game, six of them coming after the intermission.

UMR improved to 3-12-1 overall and 3-7-1 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play heading into its GLVC finale Sunday at Indianapolis.

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The Lady Miners celebrate after Brooke Ryan's game-winning goal in overtime

Usually the number 13 is considered an unlucky number. But after going 13 games this season without a win to start the season, the Lady Miners have now done something they haven't accomplished in 13 months -- wins in back-to-back games.

Brooke Ryan scored her second goal of the game and third of the weekend with 4:13 remaining in the second overtime period, giving UMR a 2-1 win over Southern Indiana Sunday afternoon at the UMR Soccer Field.

The win, which followed a 3-1 win over Kentucky Wesleyan Friday, gives the Lady Miners consecutive wins since early in the 2005 season when they beat Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Western.

UMR controlled play for much of the first half and scored the only goal in the first 45 minutes when Ryan took a feed from Sarah Herrig and put a shot from about 10 yards away past USI goalkeeper Meagan Homolla at the 27:35 mark.

The Lady Miners held that advantage for nearly 50 minutes, until the Eagles' Kara Georgeff sent a pass to Heather DeLonga for the tying goal at 76:18. The Eagles later had a chance to get the potential winning goal, but Rebecca Cripe's shot from inside the box was stopped by Lady Miner goalkeeper Brittany Parker with a foot save.

After the Eagles had taken the first five shots in overtime -- four of which were on goal -- the Lady Miners made their only shot in the overtime session count. Danielle Lyman hit a corner kick into the box and that was cleared out, but Lyman put the ball back across the box to Ryan, who hit a shot past Homolla to her right for the game-winner.

USI had a 19-18 edge in shot, but the Lady Miners had 11 shots on goal to the Eagles' 10. Parker played a solid game in goal as she finished with nine saves.

UMR (2-12-1, 2-7-1 Great Lakes Valley Conference) will head to the road for its final two GLVC contests, starting Friday at Saint Joseph's (2-12-0, 2-9-0 GLVC) in Rensselaer, Ind.

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Brooke Ryan

The Lady Miners came onto the field Friday night sporting new uniforms. They followed that up by providing their fans something else that had yet to see this season -- a victory.

Getting goals from Brooke Ryan, Maggie Thompson and Janine Einhellig, the Lady Miners ended a string of frustration with a 3-1 win over Kentucky Wesleyan at the UMR Soccer Field.

UMR had scored just twice in its first 13 games of the season, but doubled that total in a first half in which it controlled play. The Lady Miners outshot the Panthers 13-3 in the first 45 minutes and had six corner kick opportunities in the half.

The first goal came from Ryan, as she got a pass from the end line from Danielle Lyman and put it past Mallory Carver at the 16:25 mark. UMR added to its lead with just under seven minutes left in the half, as Jaime Pierce got the ball and sent Thompson on a breakaway that gave UMR its 2-0 halftime lead.

The Panthers were able to cut the Lady Miner lead in half when Nora Karvonen got free on a breakaway and got the only one of the five shots on Brittany Parker past her at the 72:38 mark. But UMR answered right back just over four minutes later, as Einhellig shot a loose ball in the center of the penalty area past Carver to give UMR its two-goal lead again.

Parker finished with four saves on the night as UMR spent a fair portion of the game on the Panthers' side of the field; Carver ended the night with 12 saves. The Lady Miners had a 22-10 advantage in overall shots.

UMR (1-12-1, 1-7-1 Great Lakes Valley Conference) will host Southern Indiana (4-10, 2-8 GLVC) in a 2:30 p.m. game Sunday at the UMR Soccer Field.

Posted by John Kean at 05:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Janine Einhellig

During one stretch of the second half Wednesday night, the Lady Miners had all kinds of scoring opportunities against Missouri-St. Louis.

But for a team that has been struggling all season to score goals, none of those chances found the back of the net and the Riverwomen were able to come away with a 2-0 victory over the Lady MIners at the UMR Soccer Field.

After a scoreless first half, the Riverwomen jumped on top just 3:05 in the second half when Rachel Lee redirected Tara Reitz's pass to the front of the net. After Lee's goal, the Lady Miners had the run of play for several minutes and had some chances to knot the score.

Janine Einhellig, Brooke Ryan, Maggie Thompson and Beth Babb all had shots at the goal during that stretch, but all of those tries were either stopped or were just off the mark.

Having dodged those attempts by UMR to tie the game, the Riverwomen added an insurance goal when Amy Fox got a pass that made it through the Lady Miner defense and beat goalkeeper Brittany Parker, who got a hand on the shot but couldn't prevent it from going by her.

UMSL (8-5-1, 5-4 GLVC) outshot the Lady Miners (0-12-1, 0-7-1 GLVC) 15-9 for the game, but by only an 8-6 margin in the final 45 minutes. Parker was credited with four saves on the night.

UMR will return to action Friday when it faces Kentucky Wesleyan (3-8-1, 1-8 GLVC) in a 7:30 p.m. game at the UMR Soccer Field.

Posted by John Kean at 04:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Marci Byrd

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- All of the good vibes the Lady Miners gained from their tie with Drury Friday couldn't extend through the remainder of the weekend.

Rockhurst handed the UMR women's soccer team its worst loss of the 2006 season to date, beating the Lady Miners 4-0 Sunday in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest. It was only the second time this season that UMR has allowed more than two goals in a game.

The Hawks jumped on top at the 9:17 mark when Amy Lindley scored off a redirect of a corner kick, then another redirected corner kick with just under five minutes to play in the opening half led to the second Rockhurst goal which was scored by Ashley Kosch.

Katie Vogt's penalty kick goal at 59:54 extended the Rockhurst lead to 3-0, then Megan Darby scored off a free kick later in the half to close out the scoring.

Rockhurst (7-5-1, 6-3 GLVC) outshot the Lady Miners 11-6 on the afternoon with three of the UMR shots being on goal. Marci Byrd was the only Lady Miner to get more than one shot at the Rockhurst net.

Brittany Parker was credited with two saves in the 67 minutes she spent in goal; Catherine Swift played the final 23 minutes for UMR (0-11-1, 0-6-1 GLVC).

UMR will open a four-game homestand Wednesday with a 7:30 p.m. game against Missouri-St. Louis at the UMR Soccer Field. The Riverwomen (7-5-1, 4-4 GLVC) extended their winning streak to four games with a 3-0 win Sunday at Drury.

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Brittany Parker

The Lady Miners were shut out Friday night -- but came away from the contest with some satisfaction for a change.

Thanks to some solid play by senior goalkeeper Brittany Parker and the defensive unit, the Lady Miners played Drury to a 0-0 tie Friday night at the UMR Soccer Field. The result ended a frustrating 10-game losing streak for UMR.

Parker made five saves in goal, including one on a penalty kick by Laura Adams in the final minute of the first half to keep the contest scoreless at the half. Earlier in the period, she made an initial stop on a shot, only to have the ball trickle past her and get cleared off the end line by the UMR defense.

The Lady MIner defense made a similar play in the second half to keep the game tied.

UMR had 15 shots in the game to Drury's 17 and had eight on goal. However, DU goalkeeper Barri Bulla turned away all of the attempts, including the only shot on net in the overtime session.

UMR (0-10-1 overall, 0-5-1 Great Lakes Valley Conference) will return to action Sunday when it travels to Kansas City to face Rockhurst in a 2:30 p.m. game. The Hawks (6-5-1, 5-3 GLVC) lost 1-0 to visiting MIssouri-St. Louis Friday.

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