LSC Roundup 11-1

No. 3 ACU rolls into LSC showdown - Joey Richards, Abilene Reporter News
No. 3 Abilene Christian had a little trouble with its old rival Angelo State on Saturday. But in the end, the Wildcats just kept rolling. Quarterback Mitchell Gale threw for 377 yards and four touchdowns in a 33-20 victory overs the Rams at Shotwell Stadium.

Now, the Wildcats face one of their newest, fiercest rivals — No. 14 West Texas A&M — in a game that would allow the Wildcats to clinch at least a share of the Lone Star Conference title on the Buffs’ home field in Canyon.

WT (7-2, 7-1), however, could spoil things. The Buffs, along with Texas A&M-Kingsville (8-1, 7-1) trail the Wildcats by a game in the LSC standings.

It’s a big week for the Wildcats (9-0 overall, 8-0 LSC), who are unbeaten and closing in on their second LSC title in three years and fourth in history. ACU’s also seeking its first-ever 11-0 mark in the regular season. The Wildcats will likely jump to No. 2 since Michigan Tech upset No. 1 Grand Valley State 20-17. ACU also could find itself ranked No. 1 in Super Regional Four when the region rankings come out later this week. That No. 1 spot would give the Wildcats a first-round bye in the playoffs and home-field advantage through the third round.

One thing to ponder, though, ACU jumped to No. 1 in the nation after beating Angelo State last season — then WT beat the Wildcats 32-21 to start a two-game ACU slide.

No. 5 Kingsville also could find itself No. 2 in the region, since the Javelinas’ lone loss so far is to ACU. Kingsville beat defending national champion Northwest Missouri 16-7 in the season opener. The Javelinas still must get past No. 22 Midwestern State on Saturday in Kingsville.


No nonsense, Buffs waste little time against overmatched foe - Dave Henry, Amarillo Globe News
West Texas A&M wasted little time Saturday afternoon showing it was not going to fool around with Incarnate Word.

The Buffs scored on their first three possessions - going up 21-0 with 2:05 left in the first quarter - while the WT defense forced three consecutive three-and-outs.

That was pretty much the game as the Buffs trounced first-year Lone Star Conference member UIW, 49-10.

How hot were the Buffs to start the game?

Take quarterback Taylor Harris and running back Jay Tillman.

Harris, who went 21-of-34 for 238 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, was 4-of-4 on WT's first scoring drive. He was 3-of-3 on WT's second scoring drive, then went 6-of-9 on the third.

Tillman had two carries for 7 yards and caught a 22-yard pass on WT's first possession. On the second, Tillman had five carries for 26 yards and caught three passes for 13 yards. Tillman finished with 12 carries for 52 yards and a score and five catches for 44 yards. Coming into the game, Tillman had 17 carries for 61 yards and four catches for 44 yards all season.


Area College Football Report - Nov. 1, 2010 - San Antonio Express News
GAME BALLS

Tim Hawkins: Texas State QB rushed for 121 yards, completed 18 of 25 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns, and guided the Bobcats from a 24-0 fourth-quarter deficit.

Jonathan Woodson: A&M-Kingsville WR registered 187 all-purpose yards and four TDs in the first half.

NOTABLE

A&M-Kingsville: While building a 42-3 halftime lead, the Javelinas’ defense forced two turnovers and held Southwestern Oklahoma to minus-4 yards rushing and 46 passing, along with two first downs. Southwestern ended up totaling 176 yards.

UIW: DB Chad Pavliska of Floresville tied a school record with 12 tackles.




Midwestern State clinches regular season title - Times Record News
COMMERCE, Texas — The Midwestern State women’s soccer team popped open its notebook from preseason meetings shortly after rolling to a 2-0 Lone Star Conference win over Texas A&M-Commerce in its regular season finale Sunday.

A quick review of the early season goals was in order for MSU coach Jeff Trimble’s club.

Qualify for conference tournament — check. The Mustangs were a cinch weeks ago to make their 15th consecutive appearance.

Receive first-round bye in conference tournament — check. MSU will hosts the LSC Championships beginning Thursday night for the fourth time in school history and first time since 2003. The Mustangs are the No. 1 seed and will face the winner of the Incarnate World/Central Oklahoma first-round matchup at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

MSU extends regular season unbeaten streak to 31 games - Times Record News
It was definitely a dog day Sunday for the No. 2 Midwestern State men’s soccer team at the MSU Soccer Field.

The Mustangs appeared to be a step slower and NAIA school St. Thomas of Houston used a pack mentality, keeping as many defenders in front of the ball as possible.

But MSU defender Dean Lovegrove buried a penalty kick in the 97th minute to lift the Mustangs to a 1-0 win in overtime.

“We were very sluggish today,” MSU coach Doug Elder said. “I’m not sure if it was the heat or that we were coming off of an emotional win Friday night, but we shouldn’t have been 0-0 with this club.”

ACU wins finale, earns No. 2 seed for LSC soccer tourney - Abilene Reporter News
Abilene Christian recovered from Friday’s loss to Texas A&M-Commerce with a 3-2 women’s soccer win Sunday over Texas Woman’s University.

Andrea Carpenter scored all three goals — her second hat trick of the season — as the No. 23 Wildcats finished the regular season at 14-3. ACU enters the Lone Star Conference tournament as the No. 2 seed and will open play Friday in Wichita Falls in the semifinals.

Midwestern State blanked A&M-Commerce 2-0 on Sunday to win the LSC championship and right to be host of the tournament. The Mustangs also drew a first-round bye.

The 14 wins is a season record for the 4-year-old ACU soccer program.

ASU SOCCER: 'Belles tie team record for wins - San Angelo Standard Times
The Angelo State University soccer team collected its 12th victory of the season with a 1-0 win over Northeastern State on Sunday at the Riverhawks Pitch. The 12 victories this season ties the 2005 squad for most wins in a season, while the Rambelles’ nine conference wins are the most in school history.

Angelo State (12-5-1, 9-2-0 LSC) tallied the lone goal in the ninth minute of play. Sophomore Hanna Horeis made a diagonal pass to Brandie DeBacker, who had made a run in behind the defense. DeBacker then had a breakaway and was able to tuck it in the back of the net with her left foot. The junior is the ’Belles’ leading scorer (nine) this season and has recorded at least one point in eight of the past nine matches.

“It was great teamwork between Hanna and Brandie,” said head coach Travis McCorkle. “We’ve been working on making our runs in behind the back line, and Brandie did a great job getting free. It was a nice goal, but our defense certainly got tested.”

WT soccer teams prevail - Amarillo Globe News
The West Texas A&M men's and women's soccer teams were victorious on the road Sunday.

The Lady Buffs topped Southwestern Oklahoma State, 3-0, at Weatherford, Okla., in their season finale.

The Buffs defeated St. Mary's for the second time this season, 3-1, at San Antonio.

Kendal Kitchens scored twice for the Lady Buffs, who finished 8-7-3 overall and 4-6-1 in the Lone Star Conference. The Lady Buffs failed to finish above .500 in LSC play for the first time in the program's history. Southwestern finished 7-10-1, 3-7-1.

St. Mary's jumped out to a 1-0 lead against the Buffs, but WT (11-5-1) responded with goals in the second half by Omar Tena, Alfredo Chavez and Clark Binning.


Field set for LSC Women's Soccer Championship - LSC Office
Midwestern State will host the Lone Star Conference Women’s Soccer Championship after claiming the league’s regular season title. The championship is set for November 4-5-7 at the MSU Soccer Field in Wichita Falls, Texas.
MSU, 15-2 overall and 10-1 in the LSC, is the top seed for the six-team, single elimination conference championship. The Mustangs claimed their first regular season championship since 1998.
Abilene Christian and Angelo State both finished with identical 9-2 records, but the Wildcats earned the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye due to a regular season win over the Rambelles.
The championship begins on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 12 p.m. with No. 3 Angelo State playing No. 6 Texas A&M-Commerce. The 2:30 p.m. game matches No. 4 Incarnate Word against No. 5 Central Oklahoma.
The ASU/A&M-C winner advances to play ACU at 5 p.m. on Friday, while the UIW/UCO victor plays MSU at 7:30 p.m. The Friday winners get a day off before playing on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the LSC Championship and an automatic bid into the NCAA Division II tournament.

LSC Soccer Championship
November 4-5-7, 2010 in Wichita Falls, Texas

Thursday, Nov. 4
No. 3 Angelo State vs. No. 6 Texas A&M-Commerce, Noon
No. 4 Incarnate Word vs. No. 5 Central Oklahoma, 2:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 5
3-6 winner vs. No. 2 Abilene Christian, 5 p.m.
4-5 winner vs. No. 1 Midwestern State, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 7
Championship game, 1 p.m.



Minnesota-Duluth New No. 1 in Division II Coaches' Poll
Minnesota-Duluth is the new No. 1 team in this week’s AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 poll. With former No. 1 Grand Valley State (Mich.) losing to Michigan Tech, 20-17, last Saturday, the Bulldogs take over the top spot with 24 first-place votes after moving its record to 9-0 with a 40-17 victory over then-No. 20 St. Cloud State (Minn.). Abilene Christian (Texas) jumps up to No. 2, followed by No. 3 Northwest Missouri State, No. 4 Texas A&M-Kingsville and No. 5 Albany State (Ga.).

There are five Top 25 match-ups this week, with one game featuring teams in the Top 10. No. 3 Northwest Missouri State travels to No. 6 Central Missouri in a game which could decided the MIAA conference title. In other Top 25 action, No. 2 Abilene Christian (Texas) travels to No. 14 West Texas A&M while No. 4 Texas A&M-Kingsville plays host to No. 19t Midwestern State (Texas) in key Lone Star Conference action. The final Top 25 match-up is for the Southern Intercollegiate Conference title as No. 5 Albany State (Ga.) plays No. 22 Fort Valley State (Ga.) in the 21st Annual Fountain City Classic in Columbus, Ga.

1. Minnesota-Duluth (2)
2. Abilene Christian (3)
3. Northwest Missouri (4)
4. Texas A&M-Kingsville (5)
5. Albany State (6)
6. Central Missouri (7)
7. Augustana (8)
8. Grand Valley (1)
9. Nebraska-Kearney (9)
10. Valdosta State (10)

Other Super Region 4 Teams
14. West Texas A&M (14)
19. Midwestern State (22)
Receiving Votes - Central Washington, Humboldt State, Washburn, Southwest Baptist




LSC Weekly Football Release - LSC Office

ACU REMAINS UNBEATEN
Abilene Christian defeated Angelo State in Lone Star Conference South Division play to improve to 9-0 overall for the second time in the last three seasons and only the third time in program history, and 8-0 in conference and 5-0 in the division. This week features a pair of top-25 LSC match-ups as No. 2 ACU travels to No. 14 West Texas A&M, while No. 4 Texas A&M-Kingsville plays host to No. 19 Midwestern State.

ACU, KINGSVILLE STILL RANKED IN TOP-FIVE
Two LSC teams are ranked in top four of the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll (Nov. 1) with ACU moving up a spot from last week to No. 2 and Kingsville at No. 4 up from fifth. WTAMU stays at No. 14 and MSU jumped up to a tie for 19th.

DIVISIONAL PLAY CONTINUES
Division play continues in week 11 with six contests. A crossover game will be played as well. The league has played 20 crossover contests this season with the South Division holding a 17-3 advantage.

STAT LEADERS
In week 10, the LSC had three quarterbacks throw for 300-plus yards, five receivers and three rushers over the century mark and 11 double-digit tacklers. Top performances included:
Passing: 377, Mitchell Gale (27-41-0), ACU vs ASU
Rushing: 26-118, Baylen Laury, SE at ENMU
Receiving: 5-138, Carl Bouldin, ENMU vs SE
Tackles: 18, Tillman Stevens, ENMU vs SE; Jonathan Darby, SWOSU vs TAMUK

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
SOUTH OFFENSIVE
Jonathon Woodson, Texas A&M University - Kingsville, SO, RB, Missouri City, TX, Marshall
Woodson scored four touchdowns and gained 187 all-purpose yards in only 30 minutes of action. He opened the game by scoring on a 3-yard run on the team’s first drive. Later in the first quarter, he carried four times for 32 yards including a 16-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter, he scored on a career long 52-yard run and on a 6-yard reception with 21 seconds left to cap a 10-play, 80 yard drive. Add it all up and he had 117 yards rushing on 15 carries, two catches for 19 yards and one kick return for 51 yards.

SOUTH DEFENSIVE
Neiko Conway, Midwestern State University, FR, CB, Houston, Texas, Lamar HS
Conway proved to be the difference for No. 22 Midwestern State in Saturday night’s 31-26 win over Tarleton State. The freshman from Houston’s interception return for 99 yards late in the third quarter with MSU leading 21-13 thwarted a Texan scoring chance and set up Lester Bush’s 1-yard TD plunge two plays later to give the Mustangs a 28-13 lead. Conway also made a season-high six tackles and blocked a 49-yard field goal attempt with 53 seconds remaining in the first half. It was his second blocked kick in as many weeks.

SOUTH SPECIAL TEAMS
George Shamblen, Angelo State University, JR, P, San Angelo, Texas, Miles HS
Shamblen has helped Angelo State stay competitive in the field position battle in every game this season and continued that trend Saturday against No. 2 Abilene Christian. Shamblen, who is among the nation’s leaders in punting, booted seven kicks an average of 50.9 yards and placed two inside the 20. Shamblen launched a career-best 72 yard punt in the third quarter of Saturday’s contest to surpass his previous 66-yard high against Texas A&M-Commerce earlier this season. Even punting into the wind Saturday, Shamblen notched a 45-yard kick that went for a net of 44 prior to a facemask penalty.

NORTH OFFENSIVE
Tyler Vanderzee, East Central University, JR, QB, Chino, California, Ontario Christian HS
Vanderzee completed 14-of-26 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns while also catching one TD pass off a reverse in the Tigers’ 48-21 home win over Northeastern State. Vanderzee threw TD passes of 51 yards to Zack Patteson and 76 yards to Cleotha Euwins. He also caught a 38-yard scoring pass off a reverse from Jason Stephenson. Vanderzee also netted 29 rushing yards on four carries. One of his rushes went for 40 yards.

NORTH DEFENSIVE
Armonty Bryant, East Central University, SO, DE, Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita Falls HS
Bryant collected three sacks, one of which caused a fumble that he returned seven yards for a touchdown in the Tigers’ 48-21 home victory over Northeastern State. Bryant topped ECU with seven tackles, six of which were solo efforts.

NORTH SPECIAL TEAMS
Ahmed Abo-Mahmood, Texas A&M University - Commerce, SO, K, Sherman, Texas, Sherman HS
In addition to making a 26-yard field goal, he made all four of his extra-point attempts in the Lions’ 31-30 win over Central Oklahoma.