Weekly release No. 11 >
Colorado College can claim its first-ever Conference USA regular-season title with a victory at UTEP on Friday night in El Paso, Texas. With their berth in the league playoffs assured, a victory over the Miners also would give the Tigers the No. 1 seed in the C-USA postseason tournament for the first time since they became an affiliate member of the conference in 2006.
The Tigers claimed their share of first place in the Conference USA standings with victories at the University of Houston (3-1) and Rice University (1-0) last weekend. CC, which extended its winning streak to five games and improved to 4-1-1 on the road in league play, is tied atop the league standings with the Owls at 22 points.
UTEP dropped to 10-9-0 overall and 3-7-0 in conference play after falling at Rice (1-0) and Houston (3-0). The Miners are ninth in the league with nine points and have been eliminated from contention for a berth in the C-USA playoffs.
UTEP holds a 6-4 lead in the series with Colorado College after defeating the second-seeded Tigers, 2-1, in the first round of the 2011 Conference USA Tournament. Seven of the 10 previous encounters, including a pair that went to overtime, were decided by one goal. CC dropped four consecutive games at University Field before recording a 1-0 victory in the 2011 regular-season finale.
Colorado College remains fourth among C-USA teams in scoring offense, at 1.79 goals per game, and is third with a 0.79 goals-against average. Junior defender
Kecia Morway, who leads the Tigers with 1,742 minutes played, anchors the defense that has posted nine shutouts and allowed more than one goal just five times. Senior goalkeeper
Hanna Berglund owns an 8-1-0 record, leads the conference with a 0.47 GAA and is second with a .852 saves ratio.
Berglund has won five consecutive starts to improve her career record to 18-8-3 overall, including a 15-4-1 mark in C-USA play. With three shutouts in league play this year, she now has 10 in Conference USA games during the last two years. Berglund has not allowed more than one goal in a game this season and has given give up a pair on only two occasions in her last 23 contests. This year, she ranks first among conference keepers in GAA and second in saves percentage.
Sophomore
Jessie Ayers, the reigning C-USA Midfielder of the Year, and senior forward
Brittney Lyman lead the Tigers with 17 points apiece. Ayers paces the attack with seven goals, while Lyman has a team-best seven assists. Junior midfielder
Madison Whitehead is third with 10 points (5g/1a).
The Tigers have struck for 22 of their 34 tallies after halftime this season. In addition to Lyman's game winner at Rice, CC scored deciding goals against Tulsa in the 61st minute, Denver in the 62nd, Houston in the 70th, Colgate in the 74th, Marshall in the 80th, UAB in the 81st and UCF in the 109th. Ayers leads the Tigers with five second-half goals, including one game winner and a pair that tied matches inside the final 20 minutes. Lyman has four second-half tallies, including two that made the difference in Colorado College victories.
CC goes right back to El Paso, Texas, for the 2012 C-USA Championship Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, Oct. 31, with four first-round matches. The semifinals are slated for Friday, Nov. 2, followed by the championship contest on Sunday, Nov. 4.
