Women's Soccer Faces Northland in UMAC Game of the Week

Article Credit: Sara Eisenhauer, UMAC Office

Saturday, October 22, 2016 - Women's Soccer: Bethany Lutheran at Northland - 3:15 p.m.
ST. PAUL, Minn. - With only two weekends left of the women's soccer Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) season, there could be more than one team hoisting the regular season trophy and two of those teams are not the College of St. Scholastica.
 
After both Bethany Lutheran College and Northland College surprised the perennial powerhouse Saints with a win and tie, respectively, this season, the two will clash this weekend with championship dreams on the line in the "UMAC Game of the Week."
 
Boasting a surprising 6-0-1 conference record, Northland has already locked up at least a share of the title for the first time in program history, as well as the team's fourth-consecutive UMAC postseason berth. With a win or a tie against Bethany Lutheran Saturday, the LumberJills will conclude with an undefeated record and at least 20 points in the standings, and will be in sole possession of the title "UMAC Champion."
 
Bethany Lutheran kept their shot at the title alive when they upset St. Scholastica in front of a home crowd Saturday with a 2-1 victory. The Vikings still have two games remaining on the schedule – both are must-wins in order to secure a piece of the championship pie. Should the Vikings defeat the LumberJills and Crown College in the season-ending contest on Oct. 29, the Vikings would clinch a share of their first-ever title and own the No. 1 seed in the postseason.
 
The LumberJills opened the conference season with a 0-0 tie with the Saints to end a 35-game losing streak against the foe. That tie has allowed the LumberJills to be in control of their own destiny. A win or tie Saturday would also lock up the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. No matter the outcome of the game, the LumberJills cannot finish worse than the No. 2 seed and have earned the right to host a semifinal game in Ashland, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, Nov. 2.
 
If the postseason and championship intrigue wasn't enough, Northland and Bethany Lutheran share a competitive history when it comes to big games. The two squads tied their regular-season meeting 1-1 before seeing each other again in the UMAC quarterfinal game.
 
Northland hosted the Vikings as the No. 4 seed in the quarterfinal matchup. The LumberJills got a game-tying goal from Madeleine Wieland to even the score at 2-2 and force overtime. Just over two minutes in to extra minutes, the LumberJills scored to end the Vikings' postseason run in overtime fashion (or shootout) for the third time in their last five appearances.
 
Despite a win over the Vikings, the LumberJills would eventually fall 3-2 to the University of Northwestern in the semifinal. This season, both teams appear to be on track for another postseason clash, but this time it could be with an automatic qualifier to the NCAA postseason on the line.
 
Before that happens, the two teams will need to meet in their regular season duel to decide which team will reign supreme. Heading into the year, the two teams may have been underrated as the LumberJills earned 37 points to finish fourth in the UMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, barely edging out the Vikings in fifth with 33 points.
 
Perhaps the lower rankings came from the team's history of finish in the standings and several losses in the off-season. The LumberJills lost several key components from their offense last season, but welcomed back the only two players they've seemed to need this season in prolific scorers Madeleine Wieland and Kaiya Voldberg. The biggest question mark would have been a replacement for All-UMAC Second Team keeper Al Ritchie, but junior Emily Romuald has certainly been up to snuff in 2016.
 
The Vikings seemed to face similar issues losing two All-UMAC Second Team picks in scorers Taylor Friehl and Bridget Hennen. However, the returner Nicole Moldstad has filled in as the team's top offensive threat. The addition of first-year Rachel Bitter has also helped close any gaps.
 

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The Match Up
Following two non-conference losses to start the season, the LumberJills have been the team-to-beat in the UMAC. The tie with St. Scholastica set the tone for the conference season in which the LumberJills have not lost once and have surrendered just two goals. Immediately following the tie with the Saints, Northland shutout the University of Minnesota Morris with a 2-0 decision before later shutting out one of the league's top teams in Northwestern.
 
The Vikings' offense came alive in its first two conference games of the season tallying nine goals over that span. They hit a slight scoring drought against Minnesota Morris, but managed to salvage a scoreless tie. The lone loss for the Vikings came in the next immediate game in a 2-1 decision at Northwestern. The big win came last Saturday, though, against St. Scholastica to put the Vikings in a position for the title.
 
In conference games this season, Northland ranks first in goals against average (GAA) with a mark of .277, while Bethany Lutheran is just behind in second with a mark of .482 – the Vikings have allowed just three goals but have played one less game than the LumberJills. Defense has been the calling card for both teams, but both have impressive UMAC scoring marks. The LumberJills are third in scoring (2.571 goals/g) and the Vikings are fourth at 2.5 goals/g.
 

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Need to Know – Northland
- Northland has shutout UMAC opponents five times in conference games this season.
- Romuald made 13 saves in the LumberJills' 0-0 tie with St. Scholastica.
- The UMAC title is the first for the LumberJills in women's soccer program history.
- The LumberJills' UMAC regular season title is the first for a Northland team in any sport since women's basketball won in 2008-09.
- Head Coach Justin Sexton now led his team to postseason berths in both seasons at the helm of the program.
 
Need to Know – Bethany Lutheran
- Bethany Lutheran has advanced to the UMAC playoffs five of the last six years, losing in overtime or shootouts on three occasions.
- Moldstad became the first Viking in program history to garner all-region honors last season.
- The Vikings defeated St. Scholastica for the first time in program history Saturday.
- A win Saturday and a win over Crown next week would give the Vikings a share of their first-ever UMAC championship.
- Heading into the season, the Vikings had received just five yellow cards in three seasons.
 

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Who to Watch – Northland
The pair of Wieland and Voldberg has been the key to the LumberJills success all season. Wieland ranks second in the UMAC for points (20), while Voldberg is third with 19. Voldberg's nine goals are second-most in conference games and Wieland owns six which is fourth-most. Wieland also earned Player of the Week honors after scoring a hattrick in the critical 3-0 shutout of Northwestern. In goal, Romuald has been the best in the league – her .277 GAA and .941 save percentage both rank No. 1 in conference games. She also boasts three conference-game shutouts – tied for the most.

Who to Watch – Bethany Lutheran
Not to be outdone, the reigning UMAC Defensive Player of the Week Averi Cash has been just as good as Romuald. The junior also owns a league-best five shutouts and her .482 GAA and .927 save percentage rank second. Moldstad and Bitter have been the key to success on offense as both have been recognized with Player of the Week honors. The two are tied for seventh in conference points (11). Moldstad is fifth in assists (3) and eighth in goals (4), while Bitter is seventh with five goals as a rookie. Bitter leads all UMAC rookies in scoring this season.
 

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The Basics
The conference matchup between Northland and Bethany Lutheran is set for this Saturday, Oct. 22 with first kick scheduled for 3:15 p.m. The contest will take place on the campus of Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin.
 
The "Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Game of the Week" is a feature that takes place each week throughout the conference portion of the season with one contest being selected and highlighted as the "UMAC Game of the Week".
 

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2016-17 UMAC Game of the Week Archives