GREENWOOD, Ind. - Positioning for favorable postseason seeding continued to heat up around the league with the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championships right around the corner.
The most recent week in the G-MAC saw Ursuline (women’s soccer, volleyball) and Cedarville (men’s soccer) maintain their lead at the top of the standings while several other teams booked their ticket into the conference tournaments.
Clay Watson (Cedarville – men’s cross country), Rachel Keeley (Kentucky Wesleyan - women’s cross country, Christakis Agilsilaou (Kentucky Wesleyan – men’s soccer), Ashley Winkelspecht (Davis & Elkins – women’s soccer) and Alyx Henry (Ohio Valley – volleyball), were all named the league’s athletes of the week.
This week’s G-MAC Snapshot Focus reflects back on events around the league from Oct. 8-14.
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MEN'S SOCCER
The playoff picture continues to shift into focus with the seven programs vying for one of the six seeds.
Cedarville (7-3-2, 3-0-1 G-MAC), Trevecca (5-5-1, 3-1-1 G-MAC) and Davis & Elkins (5-5-1, 4-2-0 G-MAC), have each secured their spot in the G-MAC Championship while everyone else remains in the hunt.
Agilsilaou (Ah-ghee-see-lau), a senior forward, has quietly assembled one of the best seasons around the league and has been formidable offensive force. His athlete-of-the-week effort stemmed from a hat trick as Kentucky Wesleyan (5-6-1, 2-3-1 G-MAC) pulled away from Ohio Valley on Saturday.
Agisilaou now ranks second in the conference in goals (8) and points scored (17). The Panthers also dueled Salem International (6-3-1, 2-1-1 G-MAC) to a mid-week double-overtime scoreless draw.
KWC faces a marquee test against Maine-Fort Kent, undefeated at 15-0, tonight in Owensboro. Maine-Fort Kent has outscored its opponents 80-4 this year.
Another double-overtime tie unfolded for Alderson Broaddus (4-7-1, 2-3-0 G-MAC) against Shippensburg as the Battlers answered within 42 seconds of the opening score. Ricard Lao made 11 saves as he withstood 29 shots from the opponent.
ABU’s Luiz Cartagena scored twice in the past week, including a goal against Pittsburgh-Johnstown in a 4-2 ABU victory.
It was a relatively quiet week in head-to-head conference competition as Cedarville fell against Slippery Rock despite goals No. 8 and 9 for Connor Gilmour.
Gilmour, the G-MAC’s top goal scorer, point leader (20) and shot leader (59), put the Yellow Jackets out in front in the sixth minute and also scored late in regulation.
Davis & Elkins took just nine shots against California (Pa.) in a Sunday afternoon struggle, but two of those attempts found the net against the Vulcans en route to a 2-0 shutout. Daniel Nock made eight saves, James Pucci converted a penalty kick and Simon Hestad scored in unassisted fashion.
Men's Soccer:
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WOMEN'S SOCCER
Ursuline (10-3, 6-1 G-MAC), Kentucky Wesleyan (8-4, 5-2 G-MAC, Davis & Elkins (6-2-4, 4-1-2 G-MAC) and Trevecca (7-3-1, 4-1-1 G-MAC), have all officially clinched postseason berths.
Davis & Elkins fought their way to its fourth double-overtime tie of the year, holding strong with Cedarville (8-4-1, 3-3-1 G-MAC) to no score through 110 minutes. Two-time G-MAC Athlete of the Week Ashley Winkelspecht made 10 saves on 16 shots faced.
The Senators stunned Ursuline on Saturday afternoon at home, holding one of the nation’s most productive offenses off the scoreboard in a 1-0 win.
Winkelspecht shined again with five saves and the D&E defensive unit permitted just eight shots to the league-leading Arrows.
Ursuline picked up its 10th win of the year against Alderson Broaddus (2-8-1, 2-5 G-MAC), coming back from a 1-0 deficit. Vanessa Consiglio scored the equalizer and Anna Feitl ended it in the first overtime session with the game winner.
Consiglio is the nation’s leader in assists and teammate Paige Rowan is the NCAA leader in goals scored as of the statistical report generated on October 12. Ursuline’s offensive is scoring 3.15 goals per game, ranking eighth in the nation.
Trevecca’s young roster continues to impress following a 5-0 win vs. Ohio Valley (1-10-1, 1-6 G-MAC) and Kentucky Wesleyan combined for two shutouts in a combined 11-0 score against OVU and Salem International (0-8, 0-6 G-MAC).
Despite weather shortening a Tuesday-night matchup, Cedarville’s offense opened up against Salem International as Grace Morelli and Elise Hurley each tallied hat tricks.
Women's Soccer:
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Standings
VOLLEYBALL
Ohio Valley (14-8, 2-1 G-MAC) is red hot having won seven straight, including a signature win against Ursuline (13-3, 5-1 G-MAC) in a five-set thriller on the road Friday.
Sophomore Alyx Henry earned weekly league honors for the second time this year as OVU’s front line has developed into a force to be reckoned with. Henry had 29 kills against Ursuline, the third-highest total in G-MAC history (also ties Imani Ward’s 29 kills earlier this year).
Coached by Paul Jacoby, Ohio Valley leads the G-MAC in hitting percentage, assists and digs. With a minimum of five attack attempts per set, Ward and Amanda Weatherwax have the league’s top conference hitting percentages while Henry is second in total kills and kills per set.
OVU’s Felicia Zartman moved into a tie for second in blocks and leads the G-MAC in solos with 26. Megan Morrison is averaging 4.35 digs per set, also tops in the league.
Cedarville (12-11, 4-1 G-MAC) ran into a few bumps in the road in the Sunshine State while contesting three teams in the national rankings at some point this season, Wheeling Jesuit, Saint Leo and Palm Beach Atlantic.
The Lady Jackets took Saint Leo and PBA to five sets and was edged out by the most narrow two-point margin in the fifth and final frame.
Kentucky Wesleyan (8-8, 3-2 G-MAC) split at home, emerging as a five-set victor against Davis & Elkins (5-10, 1-5 G-MAC) before falling victim to Alderson Broaddus (7-15, 3-3 G-MAC) the next day. Central State (0-10, 0-6 G-MAC) fell against Carlow, Indiana-East and Cincinnati-Clermont for the second time this fall.
Trevecca (12-9, 4-1 G-MAC) picked up two big back-to-back conference wins at home against Alderson Broaddus and Davis & Elkins. The Trojans are locked with Cedarville for second in the G-MAC standings.
ABU and D&E both tallied straight-set sweeps in Tuesday’s action, taking down West Virginia Tech and Glenville State, respectively.
Volleyball:
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MEN'S & WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Clay Watson (Cedarville) recorded the G-MAC’s fourth-best 8K time this year in 25:06 as he ran to victory at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational in Pittsburgh. Teammates Daniel Michalski and Matt Pelletier finished 14th and 15th as the Yellow Jackets finished third as a team.
Davis & Elkins, Ohio Valley and Salem International, also competed.
The Yellow Jackets’ lineup has shuffled a few times this fall but they are hoping to be at full strength in time for the Cedarville Open and the postseason.
Kentucky Wesleyan hosted the Fast Cats Classic at Yellow Creek State Park, future home for the G-MAC Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Championships in November.
KWC freshman Rachel Keeley stole the show for the women, becoming the first one to win an individual title at an event in the program’s history. Keeley overtook a handful of runners on the final turn and the Owensboro native looked strong on her home course.
One of the G-MAC’s previous athletes of the week, Seth Applegate, finished 10th in the 8K men’s race for Kentucky Wesleyan as the Panthers placed fifth overall.