Conference USA Women's Soccer Notebook - Nov. 5-11

UPCOMING MATCHES

2001 CONFERENCE USA TOURNAMENT

Wednesday, November 7
Match 1 - (1) Cincinnati vs. (8) Saint Louis 12 p.m.
Match 2 - (4) Tulane vs. (5) UAB 2:30 p.m.
Match 3 - (3) Charlotte vs. (6) East Carolina 5 p.m.
Match 4 - (2) Marquette vs. (7) Houston 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 8 (Semifinals)
Match 5 - Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner 5 p.m.
Match 6 - Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 10 (Finals)
Match 7 - Championship 2 p.m.
(C-USA Television Network)

All times are Central
All Games Are At Valley Fields, Milwaukee, Wis.


PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE: Kim Miles, Charlotte
Fr., M, Raleigh, N.C.
Charlotte's KIM MILES is the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 4. Her game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory at East Carolina clinched the third seed in this week's Conference USA tournament for the 49ers. She has come off the bench to score in each of the last two matches. She is third on the team with 23 shots, and five of her six points this season have come against Conference USA foes.

DEFENSIVE: Jacque Gruber, Tulane
So., D, Corona, Calif.
Tulane sophomore defender JACQUE GRUBER is the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 4. Gruber helped neutralize C-USA's top scoring team, Southern Miss, in a 3-1 win that clinched the fourth seed in the league tournament and the first winning season in school history. She played the full 90 minutes and held the player she was marking to just one shot, well outside the 18-yard box. On two occasions, Gruber cleared certain goals off the line after the USM attacker on the opposite side of the field had a one-on-one with the Tulane goalkeeper.

C-USA TOURNAMENT
The 2001 Conference USA Tournament takes place Nov. 7-10 at Valley Fields in Milwaukee. Marquette serves as the host insitution. Matches take place at 12 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 7. The semifinals are slated for 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 8, with the final set for Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. The final will be televised by the C-USA Television Network. Don Russell will call the play-by-play, with veteran MLS and MISL announcer Ed Vucinic providing the commentary. The match will air live on WFTE in Louisville and WBII in Memphis. It will also be carried on tape delay on the Armed Forces Network. The satellite coordinates are Telstar 5, Transponder 24, KU Band.

Top-seeded Cincinnati opens the tournament at 12 p.m. on Wednesday against eighth-seeded Marquette. Cincinnati's CHRISTY HOFFMAN and Saint Louis' MEGHANN BURKE are two of the league's top goalkeepers. The 2:30 p.m. match features fourth-seeded Tulane against fifth-seeded UAB. Tulane's nine regular season victories are a school record, and the Blazers are 7-2 in their last nine matches. The 5 p.m. match has a distinct North Carolina flavor as third-seeded Charlotte takes on sixth-seeded East Carolina. Charlotte is the only team to advance to the Conference USA semifinals each of the last six years, while the Pirates qualify for the C-USA Tournament in their debut season. Finally, second-seeded Marquette battles seventh-seeded Houston at 7:30 p.m. The two-time defending tournament champion Golden Eagles face a Cougar team that has won six straight matches.

HOFFMAN ON PACE TO SET
NEW C-USA STANDARD
Cincinnati goalkeeper CHRISTY HOFFMAN is the Bearcats' all-time leader with 30 career shutouts. She also leads the nation in GAA (0.33). This is the 13th best single-season GAA in NCAA history.


C-USA NOTEBOOK
CHARLOTTE
Charlotte clinched the third seed at the Conference USA Tournament with a 2-1 victory over East Carolina on Nov. 2. This is the fifth-straight year that the 49ers have been seeded among the top four teams. Charlotte is also the only team to advance to the C-USA semifinals each of the last six years. Freshman KIM MILES had the game-winning goal against the Pirates, as five of her six points this season have come against Conference USA opponents. JENN HOWELL recorded five saves to become the school's career leader (221). Howell's 1.01 GAA is the second-best single-season performance in 49er history.

CINCINNATI
Senior ANN THOMAS' team-leading eighth goal of the season gave Cincinnati a 1-0 win over Louisville on Nov. 2. In the process, the Bearcats are the first C-USA team to complete a league schedule unbeaten and untied. This was Thomas' fourth game-winning goal of the season. Senior goalkeeper CHRISTY HOFFMAN, the NCAA leader in goals against average, now has 11.5 shutouts on the season and is the school's career shutout record holder with 30. Through 17 matches this season, the Bearcats have allowed just six goals, three of which re ulted in 1-0 defeats. The NCAA record for fewest goals allowed in a season is two by the 1987 North Carolina Tar Heels. The Bearcats current GAA of 0.33, would rank them 7th all-time in NCAA annals.

DE PAUL
DePaul finished its regular season with a 2-0 loss to visiting Marquette on Nov. 3. DePaul's six victories this season are the second-highest single-season total in the program's six-year history. The Blue Demons also set a school record with a season-opening five-match winning streak.

EAST CAROLINA
In its Conference USA debut, East Carolina will be the sixth seed at the league tournament. The Pirates closed the regular season with a 2-1 loss to Charlotte on Nov. 2. Senior KELLY GRAY had ECU's goal, marking her eighth score of the season. The Pirates posted a 9-8 shot advantage over the 49ers, whom they will meet again in the first round of the tournament Wednesday at 5 p.m.

HOUSTON
Houston will be the seventh seed at the Conference USA Tournament and heads to Milwaukee with a six-match winning streak. The 1-0 victory over TCU in the Nov. 2 regular season finale was the Cougars' third shutout in the six matches. ASHLEY FORTENBERRY's second goal of the season proved to be the game-winner, as ROBIN CATE led the UH defense to its fifth shutout of the season.

LOUISVILLE
Louisville lost its season finale to Cincinnati, 1-0 on Nov. 2. Seniors JERIKA AMOS, AMBER JOLLEY and KRISTIN TAPP all played in their final game for U of L and were honored during a pregame ceremony. Louisville's four wins are the most since the 1997 Cardinals won seven matches.

MARQUETTE
Marquette clinched the second seed in the Conference USA Tournament with a 2-0 win at DePaul on Nov. 3. The Golden Eagles meet seventh-seeded Houston at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. MU won the regular season match between the two schools, 2-1, overcoming a halftime deficit to earn the victory. The win over DePaul was MU's 10th shutout of the season. JILL VENDETTI's fifth goal of the season proved to be the game-winner.

MEMPHIS
Memphis suffered a 4-3 overtime loss to Mississippi in the regular season finale. ANNIKA MOLLER, REBECCA AMROZOWICZ and ALLISON BAKER scored the Tigers' goals. Memphis lost nine matches by one goal this season.

SAINT LOUIS
Saint Louis is the eighth seed at the Conference USA Tournament and meets top-seeded Cincinnati on Wednesday at 12 p.m. JENNY KEHL leads Conference USA with 10 assists and needs two to tie the SLU single-season record. Her 56 career points are second on the Saint Louis list, and 17 career goals are third in school history.

SOUTH FLORIDA
South Florida suffered a 3-1 loss to UAB in the regular season finale on Nov. 2. Goalkeeper BRECK BANKESTER had 28 saves over the last three matches of the season. RACHEL THJMOE scored the Bulls' lone goal on an assist from STINE HAGH.

SOUTHERN MISS
Southern Miss finished 9-7 overall after a 3-1 loss to Tulane on Nov. 3. USM posted a 13-12 advantage in shots, and ANNA SNYDER replaced the injured LESLIE SCHOEPLEIN and recorded four saves in goal. TRICIA WILES scored her 11th goal of the season on an assist from KATIE ADAMS.

TCU
TCU suffered a 1-0 loss to Houston in the Horned Frogs' season finale on Nov. 2. The match was the final appearance for seniors JENN COULSON, TIFFANY GOETZ, ADRIANNE LABOVITZ, CRYSTAL PRATZ, JEANINE ROGERS and ALI SCHLOEGEL.

TULANE
Under the direction of first-year head coach BETSY ANDERSON, Tulane set a school record with nine wins this year and are assured of its first-ever winning season. The Green Wave had been picked to finish ninth in the Conference USA standings. Defender JACQUE GRUBER's first goal of the year proved to be a crucial one, as she scored the game-winner against Southern Miss. Gruber is the first non-goalkeeper to be named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week since Saint Louis' Kelly Young on Oct. 4, 1999. Twelve of the 15 points freshman BROOK PARKER scored this season came against Conference USA opponents. She scored at least one point in five of Tulane's final six games.

UAB
UAB earned the fifth seed in the Conference USA Tournament following a 3-1 win over South Florida on Nov. 2. JENNY RYNDERS scored two goals. The goals were her fourth and fifth on the season, placing her in fourth in points for the Blazers with 12.