CSB:
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats |
SCU:
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats |
St. Joseph, Minn. - Today (Oct. 6) the St. Catherine Wildcats will travel to Saint Benedict to take on the Blazers in a matchup of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) foes. The Blazers are coming off a big 3-1 win over a very good St. Thomas squad to snap a three-game losing streak. They also are currently tied for third in the conference standings, and a win today is necessary in order for them to keep pace with the conference leaders.
The Schedule:
St. Catherine's at Saint Benedict, 1 p.m, Oct. 6, St. Joseph, Minn.
Key Players:
CSB:
Jr., F,
Colleen Bouchard (Tied for third in MIAC with six assists)
FY, F, Alyssa Hoffman (Leads team with 15 points, seven goals & one assist, her seven goals are tied for third in the conference)
FY, M,
Peggy Renier (Second on the team with 23 shots, eight on goal, has done a terrific job of creating open shots for Hoffman and Bouchard as of late)
So., GK,
Megan Favorite (eight goals against, 1.17 GAA, .826 Sv%, 4-2-2)
SCU:
FY, F, Elly Leyva (Leads team with 13 points, five goals, three assists)
Sr., D, Christina Paik (12 points, five goals, two assists)
FY, GK, Danielle Mendez (18 goals against, 2.22 GAA, .775 Sv%, 6-4)
Last time out:
After dropping three straight matches (despite outplaying their opponents for most of the time) the Blazers got the win they needed and deserved on Wednesday. The victory came 3-1 against St. Thomas, the Blazers' biggest rival. After getting down 1-0 the Blazers showed their ability to play from behind in a match they could have given up on after getting down early. Hoffman tallied two more goals to her season total, including a one-timer she received from Renier and rocketed into the upper net to give her team a 2-1 lead they would never relinquish. Both goals were set up by Renier, Hoffman's high school teammate.
About the Wildcats:
After a 2011 campaign where they went 1-17 and 0-11 in MIAC games the Wildcats were looking for a big turnaround in their 2012 season. Second-year coach Chris Citowicki has added a lot of new talent to the roster this year, including 15 first-year recruits, as well as two transfers. The new talent has made an obvious difference for the Wildcats, who at 7-4 have already won six more games than they did all of last year. They appear to have caught up to their conference rivals, going 2-3 over their first five games, three of which were decided by one goal.
The Matchup:
The Blazers alleviated their frustration in the St. Thomas win, and look primed to start rolling over opponents the way they did at the beginning of the year. St. Catherine has had trouble keeping teams out of the net this year as its 1.93 GAA is second worst in the conference so far. Their problems are not likely to end today as the Blazers boast one of the best offenses in the conference, and appear to be firing on all cylinders after the St. Thomas match. One matchup to watch will be Paik and fellow defender Kristi Thorwick (All-MIAC Honorable Mention 2011) as they attempt to contain Bouchard and Hoffman, arguably the most dangerous forward duo in the conference.
