OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University earned a No. 14 seed in the 2010 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship Opening Round and will play host to Bellevue (Neb.) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Stars Field.
The 12th-ranked Stars roster boasts the SAC defensive player of the year in Brenna Skillern, the conference goalkeeper of the year in Brittany Tibbs and newcomer of the year Blerta Rashica. OCU coach Brian Harvey was also picked as co-coach of the year.
The winner of Stars' and Bruins' Opening-Round match will advance to play in the NAIA Championships at the Jack Allen Recreation Complex in Decatur, Ala. The final site matches will begin Nov. 29 and culminate with the title match on Dec. 4. The victor of Saturday's match will face the winner of third-seeded Azusa Pacific (Calif.) and William Jessup (Calif.) on Monday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m.
The OCU offense is tied for 11th in the NAIA in total goals with 62 and sits in 13th for total assists with 46 on the season. Malin Andersson, a senior from Huskvarna, Sweden, is second in the nation with 20 total assists. Andersson is also leading the team with 44 total points.
A pair of freshmen join Andersson in the Stars' offensive charge. Meghan McMahon, a freshman from Oklahoma City, has a team-high 14 goals and has netted 31 points while Rashica, SAC newcomer of the year from Orebro, Sweden, has 12 goals, six assists and 30 points.
OCU has notched 10 shutouts this season and the stingy defense is allowing opponents an average of a paltry 0.81 goals per game.
OCU comes in as the Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champion with a record of 19-2. The Stars' two losses on the year came at the hands of NCAA Division II opponents Central Oklahoma and Midwestern State (Texas) in September.
OCU has won 10 Sooner Athletic Conference championships, posting league crowns in 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008 and now 2010. The Stars were NAIA national tournament semifinalists in 1999 and 2000 and posted a second-place finish in 2001. Their most recent appearance in the national tournament came in 2008 in the Opening Round.
The current roster has six seniors and two juniors that made the trip to the 2008 Opening-Round match. This core group coupled with young talent on the roster is eager to advance to the national tournament final site.
Saturday's match will mark Bellevue's (15-4-1) first appearance as an NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship qualifier. Bellevue advanced as the champion of the Dakota/Frontier/Midlands tournament.
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