Game Notes

Bolivar, Mo. -- The SBU Bearcats will open play this week with a game against Missouri Southern in Joplin, Mo.  SBU is looking to outscore the Lions in a defensive battle lead by goal keeper Megan Link.  In SBU's home opener Link displayed her defensive abilities with a shutout against Missouri S&T.
    
On the 17th the Bearcats will face a conference match against Northwest Missouri State.  The Bearcats look to move up in the conference rankings with a win against the Northwest Bearcats who were pre-season ranked 2nd in the MIAA. SBU is lead this year by senior's Kelly Isaac and Marene Gomez who are looking to lead SBU to a winning season.
 
The Coaches and the All-Time Series
    Bearcat head coach Rob Podeyn enters his third season, and looks to further improve a program that last year went 6-9-3. Over his first two years, Podeyn has recorded a career mark of 13-18-6.  Rob Podeyn became the eighth head coach in SBU history when he accepted the position.  He joined the Bearcats after serving as director of soccer operations, assistant sports information director and head women's soccer coach at Northwood University, positions he held since 2006.
    Alese Woolard is in her second season at Missouri Southern.  In her first year at the helm Woolard led the Lions to a 5-8-5 overall record and tied the school record for ties in the season with five as well as setting a school conference record with the five draws.
    Tracy Hoza is in her 9th season as head coach of the Northwest Bearcats. Hoza has lead her team to a career record of 51-83-19.  The Bearcats won a program-record 11 games in 2009 and placed fifth in the MIAA standings, the team's best finish since 2001. That performance followed a 10-win season in 2008 and a nine-win mark in 2006. The three best records in the program's 11-year history have come in the last four seasons.

Scouting the Opponents
    Missouri Southern will host the Bearcats as the 7th-ranked team in the MIAA conference, and riding a two-game loseing streak. One of Southern's biggest threats to the Bearcats is forward Shannon Kuhn, Missouri Southern's leading scorer.  
    Northwest Missouri State is looking to be a power house in the MIAA conference sitting one game behind Central Missouri.  Northwest is averaging three goals per game with a .267 shot percentage.  Northwest's offence is lead my Tammie Elberger with 6 goals this season.