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TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (7-2-2, 3-1-2 CCAC) at CARDINAL STRITCH WOLVES (2-5-3, 1-3-2 CCAC)
Saturday, October 18 | 7:30 p.m.
Bavarian Soccer Complex | Glendale, Wisc.
Quick Notes
• With just five matches to go in the regular season, the Trinity International Trojans look to keep the momentum rolling after a pair of wins last week, as they travel north to take on the Cardinal Stritch Wolves. Kickoff from the Bavarian Soccer Complex in Glendale, Wisc. is set for Saturday, October 18, at 7:30 p.m.
• The Trojans currently sit third in the CCAC standings, and are four points out of the top spot and an automatic bid to the NAIA Tournament.
• Junior forward Samantha Yasatan is the CCAC leader in goals scored, with 20 this season, twice as many goals as any other player in the league.
• Trinity has averaged 3.64 goals per match this season, most in the CCAC, and the 11th-highest average in the NAIA.
Last Time Out
• Trinity International celebrated Homecoming week in a big way, scoring six goals in both matches, picking up a 6-1 win over St. Xavier, and a 6-0 victory over Calumet St. Joseph.
• Samantha Yasatan scored half the goals for the Trojans on the week, putting away two goals against the Cougars, then four more against the Crimson Wave. Yasatan was honored as the CCAC Player of the Week, as well as the NAIA Player of the Week on the national stage.
• Senior Liz Burzynski played all 180 mintues in goal during both matches, making a combined 10 saves on the week, and lowering her goals-against average to 0.99 on the season.
In the Polls
• With the two wins last week, the Trojans are getting closer to rejoining the NAIA Coaches Poll, but haven't cracked the top 25 just yet. TIU has 93 points in the latest poll, the highest total of any team receiving votes that are not included in the poll.
• TIU started the season ranked No. 25 in the NAIA Preseason Coaches Poll, and moved up to No. 22 before falling out following a 0-1-1 week on the road in the first week of October.
• The earlier ranking gives the Trojans their third straight campaign in which they were nationally ranked at some point during the season.
• The Trojans finished off last season as a nationally-ranked program, finishing the year at No. 25, after their late postseason run through the CCAC Tournament and into the NAIA Opening Round.
• The Trojans jumped one spot in the NCCAA Top 10 national rankings, released on Wednesday, to No. 4. TIU earned 42 points in the poll, and are the highest-ranked program from the North Central Region.
NCCAA Championship Anniversary
• The TIU women's soccer program is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their second NCCAA National Championship, in 2004. The team will be honored with an anniversary sleeve patch on this year's uniforms, and will be recognized during the match against Calumet St. Joseph, as a part of the Homecoming Weekend festivities.
• The Trojans defeated Heritage Christian (Ala.), Cedarville (Ohio), and Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) by a combined score of 7-1 to claim the title.
• Four players (Allison Budden, Kelly Campbell, Jill Barre, Ashleigh Dellos) were named to the NCCAA All-Tournament Team; Barre earned Tournament MVP honors, while head coach Patrick Gilliam was named NCCAA National Coach of the Year.
• Trinity has made seven appearances in the NCCAA Tournament in program history, winning twice, in 2004 and 1998. TIU holds a 15-6 record all-time in the tournament.
• To qualify for this year's NCCAA North Central Regional and hope to advance to the national tournament, the Trojans need a winning percentage of .600 or above. To finish with a qualifying win percentage, TIU needs to earn at least one win and two draws, or four draws over the last five matches.
Stat Leaders
Team Stats
• As a team, Trinity International leads the CCAC with an average of 3.64 goals per match, and have a conference-high 40 goals on the season. Nationally, the Trojans rank 11th in the NAIA in goals per game, and 17th in total goals scored.
• TIU also leads the league in assists per game, averaging 3.09 per match. The team ranks 6th in the NAIA, and 11th nationally with 19 total assists.
• The Trojans currently average the second-fewest fouls per match, at 7.09, just behind Calumet St. Joseph. TIU is also the only program in the CCAC with just one yellow card this season.
• Defensively, the Trojans average 1.18 goals allowed per game, the fourth-lowest average in the CCAC. The team's goals-against average of 1.12 also ranks fourth in the league, but Trojan goalkeepers have been fairly quiet, averaging just 3.91 saves per match, the second-lowest average in the conference.
• Trinity is one of five CCAC teams with at least three shutouts this season; Trinity Christan and Olivet Nazarene lead the league with five clean sheets this year.
Individual Stats
• Samantha Yasatan has been one of the strongest offensive players in the nation this season, and ranks 1st in the CCAC in six different statistical categories. The junior tops the conference in shots taken per game (5.82), total shots (64), points (42) and points average (3.82), goals, (20) and goals average (1.82).
• Yasatan also sits 2nd in the NAIA in both goals per game and points per game, 4th in total goals, 6th in shots per game (5.82) and total points, and 8th in shots on goal per game.
• Three Trojans are in the top ten in the CCAC in assists, led by Melissa Loretto, with nine to lead the conference (8th in NAIA). Morgan Elzinga is second in the league with eight helpers (14th in NAIA), while Michele Streekstra is tied for 5th with four assists.
• Elzinga has recorded four game-winning goals, and has picked up the game-winner in 36% of all matches this season, the seventh-highest percentage in the NAIA. Her four game-winners ranks 9th nationally, and tops the CCAC. Elzinga is also ninth in the CCAC in total goals, scoring six so far this year.
• Goalkeeper Liz Burzynski has the CCAC's third-best goals against average, at 0.99. The senior also cracks the NAIA leaderboard this week, coming in 50th.
Scouting the Opponents
Cardinal Stritch
• The Wolves are fighing for a playoff spot in the CCAC Tournament, sitting ninth in the standings and just one point out of the seventh and final spot in the tournament.
• CSU has struggled on offense this season, scoring just one goal in their last four matches. Cardinal Stritch have been shut out in six of their ten matches.
• Goalkeeper Kathleen Sauvey has the CCAC's eighth-best goals against average, at 2.05, and is 7th in the league with a .722 save percentage.
• The Trojans have won six of the last seven meetings with Cardinal Stritch, with their last loss coming in 2010.
Good Sports
• For the third straight season, the Trinity International women's soccer team earned the CCAC Karl Boeck Conference Champions of Character Team Award. The team honor goes to the squad that displays the best sportsmanship throughout the season in the CCAC.
• Currently, Trinity is one of two programs with the longest streak without a red card in the CCAC, and along with Trinity Christian, have gone five full seasons since seeing one of their players sent off.
