November 2, 2009
Contact:
Steve Marovich, Sports Information Director (262) 551-5740
E-Mail: stevich@concentric.net or carthagesid@carthage.edu
Carthage 24-Hour Sports Hotline (262) 551-5388
Women’s Soccer Edged by Illinois Wesleyan, 1-0, on Nov. 1;
Lady Reds End 2009 Season with a 6-12 Record
2009 Season Finale: The Carthage College women’s soccer team (6-12, 0-7 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) concluded its 2009 season on Sunday, Nov. 1 with a 1-0 loss to CCIW-opponent and No. 8 Illinois Wesleyan University (15-2-2, 5-2 CCIW) at the Neis Soccer Field. Sunday’s season-finale was originally scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31 but postponed one day due to saturated field conditions at the Neis Soccer Field.
2009 CCIW Tournament: In the Wednesday, Nov. 4 semifinals, top-seeded and No. 6 Augustana College (Ill., 17-1-1, 7-0 CCIW) shut out fourth-seeded Millikin University (12-8-1, 4-3), 5-0. Second-seeded and No. 17 Wheaton (Ill., 15-4-1, 6-1) played third-seeded Illinois Wesleyan University (15-2-3, 5-2) to a 1-1 tie in double overtime, but Illinois Wesleyan advanced the championship game, 4-1, on penalty kicks. Augustana (Ill., 18-1-1) edged Illinois Wesleyan (15-3-3), 1-0, in the Saturday, Nov. 7 title game at Augustana’s Ericson Field, giving the Vikings the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship.
2008 NCAA Championship Opening Rounds: Carthage (17-4, 5-2 CCIW) lost to No. 15 Wisconsin-Eau Claire (18-2-3), 3-0, on Friday, Nov. 14 in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship at Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Bollinger Athletic Fields in Eau Claire, Wis. In the other first-round contest on Friday, Nov. 14, CCIW-champion and No. 22 Wheaton College (Ill., 19-3-1) defeated Carroll College (Wis., 13-6-2), 3-1. Wisconsin-Eau Claire played host to Wheaton (Ill.) in a second-round game on Saturday, Nov. 15, and the two teams battled to a scoreless tie over two overtime periods. Wheaton (Ill., 19-3-2) advanced to the sectional championship, 3-1, on penalty kicks. Carthage, which received an at-large berth to last year’s NCAA championship, made its second-straight NCAA appearance.
Illinois Wesleyan Also Qualifies for NCAA Championship: CCIW-member Illinois Wesleyan University also received an at-large berth in the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship after reaching the championship game of the CCIW Women’s Soccer Tournament. The Titans (15-6-1) traveled to St. Louis, Mo., where they played Rhodes College (14-4-2) to a 0-0 tie in double-overtime in a first-round game at Washington University (Mo.) on Saturday, Nov. 15. The Titans advanced to a second-round game, 4-3, on penalty kicks. The host-Bears (15-3-1) shut out Principia College (19-2), 3-0, in the other first-round contest. Illinois Wesleyan (15-6-2) played Washington (Mo., 15-3-2) to a 0-0 tie in double-overtime in a Sunday, Nov. 16 second-round game, but the Bears advanced to the sectionals, 3-1, on penalty kicks.
2008 NCAA Championship: Wheaton College (Ill.) was selected to play host to a sectional championship on Friday-Saturday, Nov. 21-22 at Joe Bean Stadium in Wheaton, Ill. The Thunder (20-3-2) shut out Washington University (Mo., 15-4-2), 3-0, in a sectional semifinal contest on Friday, Nov. 21, with Carleton College (18-5), edging Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College (12-9-2), 1-0, in the other semifinal game. Wheaton (Ill.) defeated Carleton, 2-1, for the sectional championship on Saturday, Nov. 22. With the sectional title, the Thunder advanced to the national semifinals at Macpherson Stadium in Greensboro, N.C. Wheaton (Ill.) defeated Williams College (19-1-1), 3-1, on Friday, Dec. 5, with Messiah College (23-0-2) blanking William Smith College (16-2-5), 3-0, in the other semifinal contest. Wheaton (Ill., 22-4-2) lost to Messiah (24-0-2), 5-0, in the Dec. 6 national-championship-game.
2008 CCIW Tournament: Carthage opened play in the CCIW Women’s Soccer Tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 5 with a 1-0 loss to top-seeded and conference-champion Illinois Wesleyan University (15-5, 6-1 CCIW) at the Neis Soccer Field in Bloomington, Ill. Second-seeded Wheaton College (Ill., 17-3-1, 5-2 CCIW), ranked 22nd in the Nov. 4 National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas® NCAA Division III poll, edged third-seeded Augustana College (Ill., 15-4, 5-2 CCIW), 2-1, on Tuesday, Nov. 4 in a semifinal contest at Joe Bean Stadium in Wheaton, Ill. Wheaton (Ill., 18-3-1) won the Saturday, Nov. 8 tournament-championship game, 1-0, over Illinois Wesleyan (15-6).
The Coach: Susie Foster completed her fifth year as head coach in 2009 (61-32-6, 5 years) after two seasons as an assistant coach. Steve Domin serves as an assistant coach and director of soccer operations, with Tim Burke and Brent Malmstrom serving as part-time assistant coaches, Lindsey Bollmann and Cody Taylor as a graduate assistant coach and Chris Fidlow as a student assistant coach.
The Polls: Messiah College (17-0-1) was ranked first in the Nov. 3 National Soccer Coaches Association of America NCAA Division III poll, followed by Williams College (15-0) second, Trinity University (14-0) third, Rowan University (15-1-1) fourth, the University of Puget Sound (16-1) fifth, CCIW-member Augustana College (Ill., 16-1-1) sixth, Concordia College (Moorhead, 16-0-1) seventh, Washington University (Mo., 13-2-1) eighth, William Smith College (11-3-2) ninth and Johns Hopkins University (14-3) ranked 10th. CCIW-member Wheaton College (Ill., 15-4) was ranked 17th and Illinois Wesleyan University (15-2-2) 20th in the national poll. Washington (Mo., 13-2-1 overall record, 11-1-1 in-region mark) was ranked first in the Nov. 4 NCAA Division III Central Region poll, followed by CCIW-member Augustana College (Ill., 16-1-1, 16-1-1) second, the University of Chicago (13-3-1, 10-3-1) third, CCIW-member Wheaton (Ill., 15-4, 14-4) fourth, conference-member Illinois Wesleyan (15-2-2, 15-2) fifth and Calvin College (13-4, 11-4) ranked sixth.
The Conference: The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, in its 64th year in 2009-10, first sponsored women's soccer as a championship sport in 1995, and Wheaton College (Ill.) won or shared the first 13 titles, with Carthage College claiming a co-championship in 2001 and Illinois Wesleyan University winning a co-championship in 2003. Illinois Wesleyan won an outright championship in 2008, as did Augustana College (Ill.) in 2009. The CCIW women’s soccer coaches picked Wheaton (Ill., 7 first-place votes, 49 points) to win in 2008, followed by defending-champion Illinois Wesleyan (1 first-place vote, 40 points) second, Augustana College (Ill., 39 points) third, Carthage (30 points) fourth, Elmhurst College (27 points) fifth, North Park University (16 points) sixth, Millikin University (14 points) seventh and North Central College (9 points) eighth.
CCIW “Players of the Week”: Forward Katie Oakes (Sr., Wheaton, Ill./North) from Augustana College (ill.) was named CCIW “Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week” on Nov. 3, and North Park University goalkeeper Ashley Jacobson (Jr., Washington, Ill.) was named “defensive player of the week.” Oakes was instrumental in two Viking wins last week, clinching the school’s first-ever CCIW title in women’s soccer. She scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over North Central College on Oct. 28. She scored two more goals in a 4-1 win over Elmhurst College on Oct. 31, clinching the outright title for Augustana (Ill.). Jacobson closed out her junior season with her sixth shutout of the season in a 5-0 victory over the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Oct. 27. Jacobson collected six saves in the contest and allowed only one goal in her final three games.
CCIW Championship Structure: The CCIW determines its women’s soccer championship by points, with each team receiving three points for a regular-season conference win, one point for a tie and no points for a loss. The conference plays a post-season tournament to determine its automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship. The top-four teams, by CCIW-championship points, qualify for the CCIW Women’s Soccer Tournament, The top-two seeds will play host to semifinal games on Nov. 4, 2009. In even years, If either host-school has earned the right to play host to semifinal matches in both men’s and women’s soccer, then the women’s game involving that school only will be played on the previous day. In odd years, that same conflict would require the men’s game to be played on the previous day. This would only apply to the schools where there is a conflict. The highest-remaining seed in the tournament, following the semifinals, will play host to the championship game on Nov. 7, 2009, with that winner securing the automatic qualifier. In the event of a tie in a tournament game, penalty kicks will only determine which team advances to or wins the tournament-championship game.
Art Keller Field: In 2000, thanks to a major gift from David and Gael Romoser, a state-of-the-art AstroPlay surface was installed on Art Keller Field. AstroPlay is a synthetic surface consisting of soft, low-abrasion nylon fibers surrounded by rubber granules. Installed over a sophisticated drainage system, the surface offers excellent traction regardless of weather, and can accommodate intensive use in a succession of games and practice sessions. Art Keller Field, a 1,658-seat, facility located on the Carthage campus, opened on Sept. 24, 1966. The home side of the field, on the west, received all-new seating for 986 fans prior to the 1996 season. Lights were added in 1997, a new scoreboard was installed in 2004, a new press box was constructed in 2005, a new entry way and exterior fencing were added in 2006, and the facility was re-surfaced with FieldTurfâin 2008.
Nov. 1 Illinois Wesleyan Game Notes: Following a scoreless first period, Illinois Wesleyan’s Carlie Hoekstra scored the game’s lone goal, her ninth goal of the season, at 48:01.