Complete Game Notes | Live Video Streaming | West Texas A&M Web site | 2008 NCAA Division II Bracket

Setting the Scene:
The Washburn Lady Blues soccer team is NCAA-bound as they will travel to Canyon, Texas to face West Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament on Friday at 1 p.m. The winner will face Truman on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Lady Blues are the No. 3 seed in the South Central Regional and West Texas A&M is the No. 6 seed. The Bulldogs from Truman are the No. 2 seed. The winner of the Canyon half of the bracket will face the winner from the other side of the regional which is being held in Warrensburg, Mo. Nebraska-Omaha is the No. 4 seed and they will face the No. 5-ranked Texas A&M-Commerce. The winner will face the MIAA regular season champion Central Missouri with the winner advancing to the third round. All the matches will be streamed online at www.gobuffsgo.com.

Last time out for the Lady Blues:
Nov. 8, 2008 • Washburn 2, Missouri Western 0 - ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- The Washburn Lady Blues wrapped up the regular season with a 2-0 win over Missouri Western. The Lady Blues will now await their NCAA regional assignments which will be announced at 4 p.m. on Monday. Be sure to check wusports.com for all of the information. The Lady Blues improved to 14-6-2 overall and 10-5-1 in the MIAA with over the Griffons.
Washburn scored a goal in each half as Traci Nigg scored her second goal of the season on a direct kick in the 26th minute of the match. Washburn added a second goal in the 48th minute when Kaydi Hooker scored for the second time of her career on a rebounded shot from Jessica Mainz giving Mainz her ninth assist of the season adding to her single-season assist record.
Ashley Klone picked up the shutout in net for the Lady Blues picking up two saves.
Washburn outshot the Griffons 13 to 5 in the match and had a 7 to 4 advantage in corner kicks.

About West Texas A&M:
Quick Kicks: The Lady Buffs are 16-3-1 this season and received the Lone Star Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the postseason tournament topping Texas A&M-Commerce in overtime 1-0.The Lady Buffs are led by all-region selections Elisabeth Markussen (Senior, Borkup, Denmark) was named to the first team, while teammate Adi Stein (Junior, Jesher, Israel) was named to the second team. Markussen leads the Lady Buffs in most offensive categories including goals (18), total points (45) and shots-on-goal (40). Markussen's 18 goals this season is not only a new career high for the Borkup, Denmark native, but also puts her tied for eight nationally. Stein, a Jesher, Israel, native has scored eight goals this season, and is second on the team with 13 assist. Stein's 0.72 assist per game are fifth nationally, teammate Miriam Dominguez (Junior, El Paso, Texas) is second nationally with 0.83.

About the coach: Head Coach Butch Lauffer is in his 8th season as head men's soccer coach and his 13th as head women's coach at West Texas A&M University. During his tenure, Lauffer has coached the men to 15 consecutive winning seasons and the women to 12-plus victories six times. While overseeing the combined WTAMU Soccer program, he has compiled a 380-156-34 (.662) record in 17 seasons, with the women having recorded 10 or more wins in all but one season.
Series history with West Texas A&M:  Washburn leads the all-time series with the Lady Buffs 1-0-0. Washburn won the only meeting 4-1 on Sept. 2, 2007 in Weatherford, Okla.

Last meeting with WTAM:  (Sept. 2, 2007) WEATHERFORD, Okla. – The No. 13 ranked Washburn Lady Blues scored three goals with a 7:08 span in the first half en route to a 4-1 win over No. 25 ranked West Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon.
Jessica Mainz scored the first of her two goals on the afternoon on a header from Danielle Ayala at the 20:12 mark of the half. Six minutes and forty seconds later, Angela Wiseman scored the first goal of her Washburn career off a feed from Lauren Lawless to put the Lady Blues up 2-0.
Mainz pushed the lead to 3-0 :28 seconds later off a pass from Traci Nigg. The :28 seconds between goals by two different Lady Blues set a new school record for the quickest back-to-back goals in Lady Blues history topping the :48 seconds between goals by Lauren Schwindt and Jamie Francis on Oct.15, 2004. The Lady Buffs cut the lead to 3-1 in the third minute of the second half as Cassie Hisler found Samantha Calcote in the penalty box for the score. In the 64th minute, Ayala scored her first goal at Washburn unassisted from 6-yards out. Jenny Persons picked up the win in goal for the Lady Blues as she recorded eight saves allowing the one goal.

Last time out for West Texas A&M: (Nov. 9, 2008) CANYON, Texas - It took almost 10 extra minutes of play on Sunday afternoon, but the West Texas A&M women' soccer team defended their Lone Star Conference Championship successfully against Texas A&M-Commerce, 1-0, in front of 120 fans at The Pitch in Canyon. The entire match was a defensive battle between two aggressive teams, the match saw 13 shots on goal with only one finding the net. Lindsay McHorse (Freshman, Georgetown, Texas) took a pass from teammate Elisabeth Markussen (Senior, Borkup, Denmark) with :30 seconds remaining in the first overtime and put it past Commerce goalkeeper Taylor Jordan for the victory and the Lady Buffs second consecutive LSC Tournament championship. McHorse was named tournament MVP, and was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates: Elisabeth Markussen, Kayla Sisco (Junior, Amarillo, Texas), Nadia James (Freshman, Morvant, Trinidad & Tobago) and Lisha Jungmann (Junior, San Antonio, Texas).

About Truman:
Quick Kicks: Truman is the No. 2 seed in the region and they finished second in the MIAA standings. Truman defeated Washburn in both meetings this season, garnering a 2-1 decision in Topeka, Kan., on Sept. 18 before completing the regular season sweep with a 2-0 win on Oct. 30 in Kirksville. The Bulldogs have never faced the Lady Buffs.

About the coach: Head Coach Mike Cannon picked up his 200th win in the team's first match of the year against Quincy and is the winningest coach in Truman women's soccer history at 214-75-27 (.719). Entering 2008, he was ranked seventh in victories among active Division II coaches and is in his 16th season at the helm. Cannon's teams have won eight of the nine MIAA titles the conference has offered and have been to the NCAA post-season six times. His 2007 squad captured the MIAA conference tournament title in the only year of its existence after sharing the regular season championship.

Series history with Truman:  Truman leads the all-time series 9-3-1. The Bulldogs won in the 2007 MIAA postseason tournament semis in Warrensburg in the only postseason meeting. Washburn has dropped three straight matches to Truman last winning on Oct. 13, 2007 in a 2-1 win in Topeka.
Truman (3-9-1)
9/14/03    L 0-7    A
10/19/03    L 0-3    H
9/19/04    L 1-4    A
10/29/04    L 0-1    H
9/17/05    L 1-2 (ot)    H
10/15/05    W 4-0     A
9/17/06    W 2-1    H
10/21/06    T 1-1 (2ot)    A
9/21/07    L 0-2    A
10/13/07    W 2-1    H
$11/3/07    L 0-1    N
9/18/08    L 1-2    H
10/30/08    L 0-2    A
$First round of MIAA Postseason Tournament

Last meeting with Truman  - (Oct. 30, 2008) KIRKSVILLE, Mo. -- The Washburn Lady Blues were defeated for the first time in nine matches as they were shutout by Truman 2-0. Washburn's record drops to 11-6-2 overall and 7-5-1 in MIAA play. Washburn was outshot 10 to 3 in the first half and 6 to 3 in the second half as the Bulldogs scored goals in each half for the 2-0 win. Jessica Mainz and Lisa Fahey each had two shots for Washburn. Jenny Persons had four saves in goal for the Lady Blues.
Jessica Wiegert scored both goals for Truman - her eighth and nine goals on the season.
Last time out for the Bulldogs: Nov. 6, 2008 -- Nov. 6, 2008 - Emporia State almost made the final regular season home match forgettable for the Bulldog women's soccer team, but two second half goals gave Truman a 2-1 come from behind win on Thursday afternoon at the Truman Soccer Park. Although the Bulldogs dominated in the shot category, putting up 29 to Emporia's 8, they fell behind early when Alison Germany scored off a corner in the 32nd minute. However, only ten minutes later, Riley Mahn evened up the match, beating the Emporia State's back line and blasting a ball past keeper Jennifer Stillmock. It was Mahn's ninth goal this season and one of her team-leading 10 shots on the afternoon, coming 42 minutes in to the contest. At halftime, the score was deadlocked at one, but Truman would regain momentum in the second half. Needing one score to pull ahead, Jessica Wiegert delivered once more, taking a cross from Megan Buri and slotting it in for the game winning goal. After that, the Bulldog defense shut down the Hornets and Emporia State did not get off a single shot. Head coach Mike Cannon switched to freshman keeper Jayne Grisham in the second half, after Denise Childress started the game and made five saves. When the last seconds ticked off the clock, the Bulldogs had their sixth win in the past seven games, improving to 15-3-2 overall.

Lady Blues Soccer History:
Washburn is 59-42-21 (.560) all-time in its sixth season of competing. In MIAA play, the Lady Blues are 39-30-16 (.537). In home matches, the Lady Blues are 27-16-9 and they are 25-22-9 on the road. In matches on neutral sites, the Lady Blues are 7-4-3.

Blue Notes:
Start Chart: The Lady Blues' Kaydi Hooker, Jessica Mainz and Lisa Fahey have all made starts in 85 career games setting a new Washburn record breaking the previous record of 66 held by Jenna Lawless. With their next start against West Texas A&M, the trio will break the MIAA record for career games played and starts is 85 held by Truman's Sara Murray.

The Mainz Points: Jessica Mainz has 118 career points with 47 goals and 24 assists. Her 118 points is the third-most in MIAA history. Her 47 career goals are the third-most in MIAA history trailing Ashley Munnelly with 53 and Sara Murray with 59 on the career chart. Her 24 career assists is second all-time in the MIAA. Mainz has also set the school record, with nine assists this season. The nine assists is tied for eighth on the MIAA's single-season chart.

A People Persons: Senior goalie Jenny Persons currently has the school record for goals against average with 0.86. She is ranked in the top 10 in eight career categories and her 11 career wins are tied for second all-time at Washburn in goal.

Oh Henry: Lauren Henry has seven goals and three assists for 17 points in her first season at Washburn. Her seven goals are tied for second on the freshman single-season goal chart and her three assists are tied for third. The 17 total points is tied for second with Melissa Zadina (2003) with 17. Only Jessica Mainz (2005) had more total points as a freshman with 30.

The Fa-hey kid: Lisa Fahey, along with being tied for first with 85 career games played and starts, has played more minutes than anyone in Lady Blues history with 7,003. After not recording a goal in her first two seasons at Washburn, she has scored eight as a junior (6) and two as a senior.

Just Say “D”: Washburn's senior forward Danielle Ayala leads the team with nine goals and is second with seven assists leading Washburn with 25 points. She is third on the Lady Blues' all-time career point chart with 48 as well as third on the goal chart with 18.

Quick Kicks:
• The Lady Blues will play their 23rd game against West Texas A&M which will tie the MIAA record set by Truman in 2007.
• The match will mark the 23rd game played this season by Jessica Mainz, Traci Nigg, Lisa Fahey, Kaydi Hooker, Manon Englehardt, Keeley Lambeth, Jordan Shefte, Angela Wiseman, Markie Gallagher and Ashley Hynek which will tie the MIAA's record for individual matches played in a season.

Lady Blues on the Daktronics All-South Central Regional Team:
COMMERCE, Texas – Washburn senior defender Lisa Fahey was named to the Daktronics South Central All-Region team which was announced Nov. 11 as voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America. Fahey was one of two MIAA student athletes to be named to the team joining Central Missouri's Randi Fernsler. Washburn senior forward Jessica Mainz was named to the second team.

Up Next:
If the Lady Blues top West Texas A&M on Friday, they will take on Truman on Sunday at 1 p.m. with the winner advancing to face the winner of the other half of the bracket which is being played in Warrensburg and hosted by Central Missouri.