SPRINGFIELD, IL – The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) women's soccer team opens the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Tournament with a matchup against Quincy University.
 
SETTING THE SCENE
UIS (9-5-4, 6-5-3) takes on Quincy (15-2, 13-1) on Sunday at 12 p.m. in Quincy, IL. The Hawks are ranked No. 12 in the latest United Soccer Coaches (USC) NCAA Division II poll.
 
"Looking at Quincy, they are a quality team," UIS coach Erin Egolf said. "They're solid all over the field, and they have had a fantastic season so far."
 
WHAT'S HAPPENING LATELY
UIS clinched its first-ever GLVC Tournament berth on Wednesday after shutting out Rockhurst University (7-9-1, 5-8-1) with a 1-0 victory in a winner-take-all matchup. Erin Bolskar contributed the game-winning goal. The Prairie Stars secured a No. 8 seed in the conference tournament.
 
Quincy captured the GLVC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the GLVC Tournament. The Hawks fought off William Jewell College (6-8-3, 4-7-3) in a 3-2 win on Wednesday.
 
STARS OF NOTE
Meghan Delaney has notched 11 points off four goals and three assists to lead the Prairie Stars. Among GLVC leaders, the freshman forward from Sauget, IL is tied for ninth in points, tied for ninth in goals and tied for eighth in assists. Karisa Rogers and Emily Matsen each have contributed four goals, which makes up parts of a ninth-place tie in the conference. Maggie Juhlin has dished out four assists, which is tied for fifth in the conference. Taylor Mraz has produced nine points off three goals and three assists. Kayla Meyer, Kaylan Mills and Mraz each make up parts of an eight-place tie in the conference with three assists. Madisyn Coudriet has also provided three goals.
 
The Prairie Stars currently rank fourth in the conference with 1.22 goals per match.

UIS DIVISION II RECORD BOOK WATCH
Matsen is currently tied for first in career game-winning goals (4), fourth in career goals (8) and tied for fifth in career points (18).  Juhlin is tied for second for most assists in a season. Rogers currently ranks third in career goals (9) and career points (21). Courtney Johnson ranks second in career shutouts (8) and is tied for second in single-season shutouts (4). Delaney is tied for fifth in single-season points. Mraz is tied for fifth in career assists (6) while Mraz, Mills, Delaney and Kayla Meyer make up parts of a fifth-place tie in single-season assists.
 
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT
Mackenzie Rief paces Quincy with 23 points off 10 goals in three assists. She leads the conference in points, goals, game-winning goals (8) and is tied for eighth in assists. Katie Heiligenstein has provided 10 points off five goals. She is tied for sixth in the GLVC in goals. Maddie Bauer is tied for fifth in the conference in assists (4) and Abby Pulliam is tied for eighth in the conference in assists (3). Cassidy Foley and Alex Severino have netted three goals apiece while Foley and Bailey Greubel have sent out two assists. Megan Swanson leads the conference with 11 shutouts and ranks third in the conference with an .890 save percentage.
 
As a team, Quincy has scored 1.47 goals per match and allowed 0.59 goals per match, ranking third in the conference in both categories. The Hawks are currently riding a nine-match winning streak.
 
A SEASON OF FIRSTS
In addition to qualifying for its first GLVC Tournament, UIS recorded the most wins and most conference wins in program history. On Sept. 5, the Prairie Stars took a 1-0 victory over Lindenwood University (5-10-1), which was ranked No. 25 in the nation at the time. This victory marked the program's first win over a ranked opponent and the program's first win over Lindenwood. The Prairie Stars also put together their first conference weekend sweep and picked up their first-ever wins over Rockhurst, the University of Indianapolis (8-6-2, 7-5-2), Drury University (7-8-2, 5-8-1) and Lewis University (6-8-3, 4-7-3)
 
"I'm thrilled for the seniors to be able to experience this opportunity in their last season, and I hope the whole team enjoys the moment. This was a year of a lot of firsts, but making the postseason was a culmination of all of those firsts. Our program has the chance to face a very good team in the first round of postseason play and to achieve another first."
 
LOOKING BACK
Quincy rallied to a 3-2 victory over UIS last Sunday. Mraz and Amanda Meyer both contributed goals in the first half to start with a 2-0 lead. Baylee Smith found the scoreboard and cut Quincy's deficit to one by halftime. With less than four minutes remaining in the match, Quincy was awarded a penalty kick after drawing a handball penalty in the box. Rief converted the penalty kick to even the match at two-all. With less than two minutes remaining, Quincy drew another handball penalty, this time just outside of the box. Rief sank the free kick to complete the comeback. UIS is hungry for a win following the heartbreaking loss.
 
"Coming off a very tough loss to them last weekend, we are excited for the opportunity to play them again. We'll give it everything we've got on Sunday."
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Following the GLVC quarterfinals, the remainder of the GLVC Tournament will be held in Indianapolis, IN on Nov. 3 and Nov. 5. With eight teams fighting for a bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament, the predictability of each match decreases significantly during the postseason.
 
"Anything can happen in the tournament, and I am proud of the girls for getting themselves to this point.  They put themselves in a position to extend the season, and I'm delighted with what they have accomplished. We have had our fair share of highs and lows, but through it all, the players believed in each other, trusted the process, and are getting rewarded for it. Now we see what we can do to put ourselves in a good position to be successful on Sunday."
 
GLVC TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
Quincy holds the top seed for the conference tournament and is ranked No. 2 in the Midwest Region. Second-seeded McKendree University (12-2-3, 9-2-3) and fourth-seeded Bellarmine University (7-3-5, 6-3-5) are both ranked in the Midwest Region.
 
Sunday, October 29
Quarterfinal #1: No. 8 UIS at No. 1 Quincy – 12 p.m. at Quincy, IL (Live Stats) (Live Video)
Quarterfinal #2: No. 5 University of Southern Indiana (8-5-4, 6-4-4) at No. 4 Bellarmine – 12 p.m. (ET) at Louisville, KY
Quarterfinal #3: No. 7 Indianapolis at McKendree – 12 p.m. at Lebanon, IL
Quarterfinal #4: No. 6 Truman State University (6-5-5, 6-4-4) at No. 3 Maryville University (8-5-3, 7-4-3) – 12 p.m. at St. Louis, MO
 
Friday, November 3
Semifinal #1: Winner of Quarterfinal #1 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal #2 – TBA at Indianapolis, IN (Carroll Stadium, IUPUI)
Semifinal #2: Winner of Quarterfinal #3 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal #4 – TBA at Indianapolis, IN (Carroll Stadium, IUPUI)
 
Sunday, November 5
Championship: Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Indianapolis, IN (Carroll Stadium, IUPUI)