INDIANAPOLIS - With exactly half of the league schedule remaining in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference women’s soccer landscape, it’s time look back on some of the storylines through early part of the season.
The second half of the conference schedule officially begins tomorrow Thursday, Oct. 6, and the six-team conference tournament bracket will be released later this month.
Eight teams will be fiercely battling it out for those six postseason berths as the regular season ultimately concludes later this month.
Déjà Vu
The current conference standings are setting up for a strikingly similar layout in 2014 when Ursuline hosted the conference tournament and edged Trevecca Nazarene in the final. The second half of the league schedule appears to be wide open with some critical matchups looming down the stretch.
The Arrows of Ursuline and Trojans of Trevecca Nazarene are currently No. 1 and No. 2 in the standings with just one conference point separating the two talented schools.
And that’s not to say other teams are out of the running. Cedarville and Kentucky Wesleyan were two of the league’s best last year. Ohio Valley stunned Ursuline with an upset win. Malone is just two points shy for the postseason seeding if the season ended today.
Hosting responsibilities and home field advantage is a big piece of the puzzle, but Davis & Elkins found out last year the going can get tough as the No. 1 overall seed was eliminated with a semifinal defeat.
TNU has recorded five consecutive shutouts against opponents with four of those resulting in winning decisions. The Trojans start the second half of the conference schedule with a doozy at Ursuline and a win could propel them into first place. G-MAC Defensive Players of the Week Liz Denton (GK) and Sophie Callis (D) will be huge factors in this matchup.
If Ursuline is able to secure home-field advantage, the Arrows have what it takes to finally make the program’s first NCAA Midwest Regional appearance after being on the cusp for several years.
Battler Brigade
Alderson Broaddus is a team that no one arguably wants to face right now. The Battlers were picked seventh in the preseason coaches poll but are now in the top half of the G-MAC standings.
The most recent body of work consists of eye-opening back-to-back shutouts against Davis & Elkins and Kentucky Wesleyan -- both on the road. AB has already taken down reigning conference tournament champion Cedarville and will continue a five-game road stretch starting tomorrow at Ohio Valley.
Goalkeeper Diyonus Walls has been just that – a wall to fortify the AB defense. Senior forward Brittany Minor ranks high in many offensive categories. The Battlers have impressively shown the ability to close out games past regulation, winning two conference games in overtime.
This is a team to keep an eye on during the second half of the season.
Scoring Machines
A total of five players around the G-MAC have double-digit point totals on the season to date. Leading the way is Ursuline freshman Jill Bohling, a two-time G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week that has taken the league by storm.
Bohling has nine goals and a pair of assists as she looks to duplicate a rare feat last year pulled off by Davis & Elkins’ standout Katrina Giantsopoulos as G-MAC Offensive Player of the Year and G-MAC Freshman of the Year.
Bohling has stated her case, effectively replacing the seemingly impossible void left behind by Vanessa Consiglio as a game-breaking playmaker.
Speaking of Giantsopoulos, it took a few games for the sophomore to get rolling, but with six goals and an assist, she’s right on track to finish as one of the league’s best yet again. She is just one goal and one point away from moving into third all-time in conference history just 26 games into her career.
Trevecca Nazarene’s Chelsey Russom is developing a clutch reputation with six goals, including four game winners. Russom has 12 points to match Malone’s Brianna Smith. Smith’s teammate, Christina Najjar, erupted for a hat trick earlier this week and is second in the G-MAC in points with 15.
Regional Rankings
The first NCAA Division II Midwest Region rankings will be published around Wednesday, Oct. 19, following the regional advisory committee’s first conference call on that Tuesday. While the rankings are contingent on several criteria set by the national committee, the NCAA Tournament bracket will feature at-large berths based on the final set of regional rankings.
The G-MAC is guaranteed an automatic qualifier spot in the national tourney and depending on how the conference tournament shakes out, it is hoping to send an additional school(s) to the NCAA Midwest Regional.