Midwestern State vs. Texas A&M-Commerce
Friday, Oct. 7, 2014 | 7:30 p.m.
Lion Soccer Field | Commerce, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (8-5-5); Texas A&M-Commerce (13-5)
Live Video: LionAthletics.com  
Live Stats: LionAthletics.com  
 
ON THE PITCH
Midwestern State opens defense of its Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament championship against host Texas A&M-Commerce Friday night at Lion Soccer Field. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS
- Texas A&M-Commerce rolls into the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament on a five match winning streak and have won seven of their last eight with the lone loss coming to Midwestern State.
- The Lions' attack is paced by the 1-2 punch of forwards Savannah Henderson (12 goals, 6 assists) and Jade Bell (9 goals, 7 assists). The duo has accounted for 70 percent of A&M-Commerce's scoring output.
- Henderson, a sophomore from Mabank, leads the LSC in goals (12), points (30) and shots per game (4.50).
- Bell, a junior from Ramsey, England, leads the LSC with seven assists while ranking third in shots per game (3.22), third in points (25) and fourth in goals (9).
- Junior goalkeeper Courtnie Northern ranks second in the LSC and 43rd in NCAA Division II with a 0.67 goals against average. She boasts seven shutouts in 16 starts.
- Texas A&M-Commerce carried the No. 3 ranking in the latest South Central Region Rankings released Wednesday.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
- Midwestern State meets Texas A&M-Commerce for the 33rd time on the pitch Friday night at the Lion Soccer Field.
- The Mustangs own an 18-10-4 edge in the series which dates back to the 1995 season.
- MSU is 10-7-1 all time against the Lions in Commerce and is 8-2-1 versus A&M-C since the start of the 2009 season. 
- The Mustangs and Lions meet for the second consecutive season in the LSC Postseason Tournament semifinals. MSU advanced in penalty kicks (3-1) after the teams played to a scoreless draw.
 
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT
- The top four teams qualified for the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament which is a straight, four-team single elimination format with the winner earning the automatic qualification into the NCAA Division II playoff field.
- Texas A&M-Commerce claimed its first regular season championship since 2003 to take the No. 1 seed with a 7-3 league mark. Angelo State earned the No. 2 seed at 6-3-1 just ahead of No. 3 seed Eastern New Mexico at 6-4. MSU edged out Texas Woman's for the No. 4 seed at 3-5-2.
 
MSU IN THE LSC TOURNAMENT
- Midwestern State makes its 19th appearance in the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament.
- The Mustangs own a 16-14-3 overall record (.530) which includes marks of 6-1-1 in the quarterfinals, 7-9-1 in the semifinals and 3-4-1 in the finals.
- MSU rolled to championships in 1996, 1998, 2011 and 2013 while also advancing to the final round in 1997, 1999, 2005 and 2010.
 
MUSTANGS NOTEBOOK
- Midwestern State is looking to rebound from a regular season ending two-match skid falling to Eastern New Mexico and Angelo State -- both by 1-0 score lines at home.
- The Mustangs have dropped four of their last six, but one of the wins was a 2-1 result at Texas A&M-Commerce.
- Junior forward Callie Briseno (Amarillo, Texas / Amarillo HS) has scored three of MSU's last four goals including two tallies in five minutes to lead the Mustangs to a 2-1 win at Texas A&M-Commerce on Oct. 17. She added a third goal in the Mustangs' 2-1 win over West Texas A&M on Oct. 24.
- Freshman forward Destinee Williamson (Bedford, Texas / Trinity HS) tallied her eighth goal of the season in MSU's 2-1 win over West Texas A&M.
- The Mustangs have been shutout in consecutive matches for the second time this season in losses to Eastern New Mexico and Angelo State. MSU played Fort Lewis (Colo.) and Western State Colorado to back-to-back scoreless draws earlier this season.
- Williamson leads the MSU attack with eight goals and four assists and is the lone Mustangs' player with double figure points at 20.
- Senior midfielder Katy Catney (Wichita Falls, Texas / Rider HS) has accounted for nine points on two goals and a team-high five assists.
- Sophomore forward Nicole Coetzer (Trophy Club, Texas / Nelson HS) is second on team with four goals, but is searching for her first tally against a conference foe.
- Junior forward Ashley Cottrell (Arlington, Texas / Mansfield Summit HS) accounted for each of her three goals in a three-game stretch hitting the back of the net against Oklahoma Christian (9/16), Lubbock Christian (9/19) and Southern Nazarene (9/23).
- Redshirt-freshman Courtney Burnette (Irving, Texas / MacArthur HS) ranks second in the LSC in save percentage (.871) and saves per game (5.61) and is third in goals against average (0.78). She boasts six clean sheets this season.
 
THE CLARKE ERA BEGINS
- Damian Clarke is in his eighth overall season as a head coach boasting the 11th best winning percentage amongst NCAA Division II coaches at 114-36-21 (.728).
- Clarke led Fort Lewis to NCAA playoff appearances in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013 as the Skyhawks advanced to the Elite Eight in 2010.
- Clarke is a three-time NSCAA Central Region and RMAC Coach of the Year.
 
UP NEXT
- With a win, Midwestern State advances to the LSC Postseason Tournament finals for the ninth time and will face the victor of Friday's other semifinal between Angelo State and Eastern New Mexico. Kickoff is slated for Sunday at 1 p.m.