WSOC Weekly Release No. 8

Colorado College plays at home for the first time since Sept. 16 when the University of Memphis visits Stewart Field at 4 p.m. Friday. The four-game home stand continues on Sunday when the Tigers play host to UAB at noon. It's the first time CC will play four consecutive Conference USA games at Stewart Field since 2009 when it played five in a row to finish out the regular season with a 5-0-1 record.
 
CC enters Friday night's showdown with league-leading Memphis with a 7-2-4 overall record. Colorado College, which is No. 8 in this week's NSCAA/Continental Tire Central Region rankings, is currently fifth in the conference with a 2-1-1 mark and seven points after beating the University of Tulsa (1-0) and tying SMU (2-2). The Colorado Tigers are 4-0-2 at home and have outscored their opponents 15-3.

Memphis, ranked No. 7 in the Central Region, improved to 8-3-0 overall after defeating East Carolina (2-0) and Marshall (7-1). The Tennessee Tigers lead C-USA with a 4-0-0 record and 12 points. UAB enters Friday night's game at UTEP with a 2-10-0 overall record and a 1-3-0 mark in C-USA after falling at Marshall (3-2) and East Carolina (1-0) last week. 
 
Memphis has won four consecutive games against CC to take a 4-2 lead in the series. Five of the six contests were decided by one goal, including last year's 2-1 victory in Memphis. Colorado College leads 2-1 in games at Stewart Field despite dropping a 1-0 decision in 2010.

CC owns a 4-2-1 record versus UAB despite dropping a 1-0 decision in Birmingham in 2011 and tying 1-1 the last time the teams met in Colorado Springs a year earlier. Colorado College is 3-0-1 against the Blazers at Stewart Field.
 
Colorado College remains third among league teams in scoring offense, at 1.92 goals per game, as well as in goals-against average at 0.79. Sophomore Jessie Ayers, the reigning C-USA Midfielder of the Year, leads the Tigers with career highs of six goals and 15 points. Junior midfielder Madison Whitehead and senior forward Brittney Lyman are tied for second with nine points apiece. Whitehead and senior midfielder Hannah Peterson, who leads the team with three game winners, are second in goals with four apiece.

Freshman keeper Kate Scheele has started nine of 13 games, posting a 4-1-4 record with four shutouts. She owns a 0.80 GAA and a .833 saves percentage. Senior Hanna Berglund has won three of her four starts and has a 0.60 GAA and a .800 saves percentage.
 
Memphis leads the conference with a 3.09 goals-per-game average, but is only ninth with a 1.52 GAA. The offense is paced by junior midfielder Christabel Oduro, who leads the C-USA with nine goals and 25 points. Sophomore forward Kylie Davis is next with 15 points (5g/5a), while freshman forward Tine Schryvers is just behind with 13 (6g/1a). Freshman goalkeeper Christa Strickland is 7-1-0 in goal, with a 1.02 GAA and .742 saves percentage.
 
The Blazers are tied for ninth in C-USA scoring, at 1.0 goals per game, and last with a 2.75 GAA. Sophomore midfielder Johana Liney leads the offense with four goals and nine points, while freshman midfielder Paige Hanks is second with five points (2g/1a). Freshman goalkeeper Courtnie Northern, who started all 12 games and is 2-8-0, owns a 2.90 GAA and .605 saves percentage.
 
With her assist on Jaclyn Silsby's goal at SMU on Sunday, Lyman became the 28th player in school history to reach double figures assists and climbed into a tie with Ann Cernicek (1984-87) and Amara Wilson (2004-07) at No. 13 on CC's all-time points list with 52. Lyman is now one point behind Karen Willoughby (1985-88), who is in sole possession of 11th place, and only two away from joining Tara Nott (1990-93) in the top 10 with 54 points.
 
The Tigers have scored 15 of their 25 goals during the second half of games this season. In fact, CC scored the game-winning goal against Tulsa in the 61st minute, versus Denver in the 62nd minute and against Marshall in the 80th minute. Colorado College struck twice during the final 45 minutes during the 2-1 victory over Colgate, the 2-1 victory at Marshall and the 2-2 tie at SMU. Ayers leads the team with five second-half tallies.
 
The Tigers play their final home games of the 2012 campaign when No. 8 UCF and Southern Miss visit Stewart Field on Friday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 14, respectively.