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SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster College women's soccer team plays it's only game of the week at Dumke Field on Saturday. Westminster welcomes No. 23 Carroll to town for a Frontier Conference game that begins at 1 p.m.
Griffin Notebook
Westminster heads into Saturday's game at 6-4-1 overall after going 0-1-1 in Portland last weekend. They played Southern Oregon to a 0-0 tie and then dropped a 3-0 decision against then-No. 5 Concordia (Ore.). The Griffins are 6-1 at Dumke Field this season.
Offensively, Westminster is averaging 2.45 goals per game and rank 50th in the NAIA in that category. They had scored at least one goal in each of the first nine games of the year before the 0-0 tie last Friday. Westminster has scored 27 goals this year to rank 18th nationally and their 17 assists is 28th in the country.
Margo Hickman has scored a team-best nine goals and leads the Frontier/Cal Pac in total goals. She is 17th nationally in total goals and her 22 total points rank 15th. Hickman also ranks third nationally with three game-winning goals and 39th with 2.64 shots on goal per game.
Dayna Winter-Nolte has posted all six victories this season with a 1.52 GAA. Winter-Nolte has made 43 saves with a .717 save percentage while making 11 starts.
Jessie Eiting has played 45 minutes without allowing a goal or making a save.
Game Coverage
Saturday's game will be streamed live on Griffins TV. The stream goes live approximately 10 minutes before kickoff. Live stats will also be available for the game and can be accessed from your computer of mobile device. You can access all of the links at WestminsterGriffins.com.
Friday's Opponent: No. 23 Carroll
Carroll comes to town at 5-2-1 overall and 1-0 in the Frontier Conference. The Saints are unbeaten in three straight games and have won two straight. They haven't allowed a goal in 302 consecutive minutes with three straight shutouts. Carroll has also outscored the opposition 21-9 this season.
Meghan O'Connell has scored seven goals this season and her 0.88 goals per game leads the Frontier/Cal Pac Conference. She is 42nd nationally with those seven tallies and 46th in goals per game. Macie Netz has added five goals and two assists. Erin Volz has recorded 40 saves with a 1.29 GAA in the Carroll net. VOlz has a .816 save percentage and five victories.
Inside the Series
Carroll leads the all-time series against the Griffins 7-1-1. The lone win by the Griffins was a 2-1 decision at Dumke Field on Oct. 5, 2010. Westminster is 1-1-1 in the three games played at Dumke Field in this series. Carroll has won the previous two meetings between the two schools and outscored the Griffins 6-1 in those games.
Offensive Explosion
Westminster is having its best offensive season in school history this season. They have already scored 27 goals this season and are five shy of tying the record of 32 set in 2007. The 2.45 goals per game average would be a school record, surpassing the 2007 average of 1.78. Westminster scored at least one goal in each of the first nine games and surpassed the previous record of seven straight set in 2009.
The Griffins are also racking up the assists at a record pace. Through Sunday, Westminster has recorded 17 assists this season and is four shy of the 21 set in 2009. They also average 1.55 assists per game which would become a new school record, eclipsing the 1.05 average from 2008 and 2009.
The Hickman Show
Junior forward
Margo Hickman has scored nine goals with four assists and leads the team in both categories. Her 22 points already ranks second in school history for points in a season and sit just six shy of the 28 Jennifer Pirente had in 2007. Hickman is also four goals away from matching the 13 Pirente scored in 2007.
Hickman has scored at least one goal in seven of the 11 games played this season. She has twice scored two goals in a game and has five goals in the last five games. Hickman has tallied at least one point in eight games and has two five-point games with one three-point games.
When it Counts
Heather Hillam has scored four goals this season while adding two assists for 10 total points. After posting just one point in the first four games, Hillam has recorded nine points in the last seven contests. She has also scored two game-winning goals, including one against the College of Idaho.
Hillam ranks second in school history with 41 career points and sit just three short of the 44 scored by Pirente in her career. She also needs one goal to tie Pirente for the career lead and her nine career game-winning goals rank first in school history.
Freshman Sensation
Carissa Cooper is off to a fast start in her Westminster career. The freshman midfielder has three goals in 11 games including one game-winner. Cooper also scored a goal in the Griffins 2-1 exhibition win against Iowa Western at Rio Tinto Stadium in August. She has attempted 11 shots and put five on frame.
Dumke Advantage
The Griffins have posted a 25-9-1 all-time record on the fast surface of Dumke Field. They have never dropped more than two games in a season and have started 6-1 at home this season. Westminster plays nine games at home this year including the first five on the slate. They went 5-2 at home in 2010.
Checking the Poll
Westminster dropped out on the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll after last week's action. The Griffins received 73 points in this week's poll and is the top ranked team among the others receiving votes. They have received at least one point in all five polls that have been released this year and made the Top 25 for the first time in school history last week at No. 24.
Massey Ratings
Westminster slipped four positions to No. 29 in the latest Massey Ratings that were released on Sunday. The Griffins have a rating of 0.383 and are one spot behind Saturday's opponent Carroll. The ratings list Westminster as having the second-best home advantage while playing the 21st-best schedule.
The Massey Ratings are compiled each week with new ranking being released on Mondays. Kenneth Massey is the creator of the rating formula and all ratings can be found on his web site at www.masseyratings.com.
Playing the Best
The Westminster women's soccer team is playing maybe the toughest slate of games in school history this season. The Griffins will face five teams that qualified for the 2010 NAIA National Championships and 11 opponents that won at least 10 games last season.
The 15 teams on the 2011 schedule combined to go 153-98-32 (.597) last season. They combined to win eight games at the national tournament with no team that qualified losing an opening round contest. Westminster will also face seven teams that are ranked in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 Coaches' Poll and two more that received votes in the poll.
Frontier Conference vs. Cal Pac Conference
Dumke Field will play host to the Frontier/Cal Pac Conference Tournament on Nov. 11-12. The top four teams from the two conferences will compete for an automatic invite to the NAIA National Championships. The semi-finals will be played on Friday with the title games being played on Saturday. Games times will be announced at a later date.