Muleskinner

Issue date: 10/5/06 Section: Sports

moving forward-- Forward Erin Hainey advances the ball against Northwest Missouri State's Jamie Campbell Sept. 27. The Jennies defeated the Bearcats 2-0 to start the team's current winning streak. The Jennies face Truman State Friday at the South Recreation Complex.

The Jennies will complete their five-game home stretch Friday against conference foe, Truman State (8-2-2; 3-1-2), hoping to continue the string of hot play that has led to consecutive victories.

The last time these two teams faced off in Warrensburg, the Jennies edged Truman in a close 1-0 game. Despite the win, the Jennies have not had much luck lately against the Bulldogs.

Since the 2000 season, the Jennies have a record of 9-2-0 against Truman, with seven of those losses coming by way of shutout. Luckily this season, the Bulldogs have not had much success away from Kirksville, with a record of 2-2-0.

Thus far, the Bulldogs have been led by Forwards Lauren Hawks and Jessica Wiegert. The duo has combined for 12 of Truman's 22 goals. Their goals account for 55percent of the Bulldogs offense.

The Jennies have been on a roll as of late, winning their last two home games. They recently defeated conference rival Missouri Western in blowout fashion, 5-0.

"It's great to get two wins in these past couple of days," said head coach Geoff VanDeusen. "That gives up six points to get us right back in the conference race. This win was good for us mentally, and I'm glad to see five goals on the board."

The Jennies played a very physical and upbeat game, similar to the way they played during their five-game winning streak. Although they picked up the pace, the Jennies still struggled in the first half of play, only getting one goal on numerous shots.
"I don't think we played very good in the first half at all,"
VanDeusen said. "I think most of the credit has to go towards Missouri Western, because they battled and hung in. They just don't have as many horses as they need right now, and we wore them down with our subs."

The stars of Friday night's game were forwards Melanie Hall and Carrie Twellman. Hall scored two goals and also chipped in an assist, while Twellman tied the school record of assists in a game with three. Others that found the back of the net were Landri Schmitt, Kylee Shuhler and Madeline Baker.

Even though this was a great win for the Jennies, they are looking ahead to their tough match up with Truman Friday. The current hot streak could be an advantage in the upcoming match.

"Tonight we were really focused on getting the ball in the back of the net," Hall said. "If we keep doing that and combine it with great passing ,we should be able to win our next game."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools