Griffins Ready for Colorado Mesa in RMAC Opener
The Westminster women's soccer team will open Rocky Mountain Athletyic Conference action on Sunday when they face Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction, Colo. The game will be played at Walker Field and will begin at 1 p.m.
 
The game will be broadcast live on the RMAC Network with CMU producing the content. There will also be live stats available during the game. Links for all of the live features are available at WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
 
About the Griffins
Westminster will head to its nearest RMAC rival with a 3-1 overall record. They haven't played a true road game this season, but went 2-0 in neutral site outings during the season's opening weekend. The Griffins will enter the game having lost its last outing to snap a three-game winning streak.
 
The Griffins are fifth in the RMAC by scoring 1.25 goals per game and they are taking 15.50 shots per game to sit second in the league. The team is putting 58.1 percent of those chances on goal and they have taken 18 corner kicks.
 
Madison Roemer leads the team with three goals and six points. She ranks second in the RMAC at 0.75 goals per game and 1.50 points per game. Heidi Lorschider and Alexis Sims have scored the other two goals for the Griffins. Tiana Cerciello and Emily Pascua have an assist each to lead the team. Cerciello leads the squad with 13 shots and she is tied with Roemer with eight shots on goal.
 
Westminster keepers have combined for a 0.25 goals-against-average and went the first 355 minutes of the season before allowing a goal. The team has made eight saves and tallied a .889 save percentage with three shutouts.
 
Breanna Empey has started all four games and has a 0.26 GAA in 345 minutes. Empey is 3-1 with two shutouts and a .889 save percentage on the season. Hillary Weixler has made one appearance without making save and has one combined shutout.
 
Looking Back
• Westminster split its last two games, both at home. They defeated Saint Martin's 1-0 on a goal from Roemer in the second minute last Sunday. The on Tuesday, Dixie State scored in the 86th minute to give the Griffins a 1-0 loss and snap their winning streak.
 
Historic Season for Women's Soccer
• The 2016 season is the 10th season of competition for the Westminster women's soccer program. The Griffins have gone 99-67-13 (.589) all-time and they have recorded six straight seasons with at least 10 wins. The Griffins went 10-6-1 (.618) last season, its first competing in the RMAC and against a NCAA Division II schedule.
 
One Goal Only
• Westminster hasn't allowed an opponent to score multiple goals in a game at Dumke Field since October 20, 2013. During that 19-game span the team is 14-3-2 with 10 shutouts. They have outscored the opposition 36-9 in those games and they have allowed just two goals in the past seven home games.
 
Trio of Winners
• Madison Roemer currently leads the team with three goals and six points. The senior scored the game-winning-goal in the first three games of the season and currently leads the RMAC and NCAA in that category. Her three straight game with a goal is tied for the fifth-longest streak in team history while her four consecutive games with a point is the second-longest by a Griffin all-time.
 
Up the Charts
• With those three goals this season Roemer has moved into a tied for eighth in team history with 12 career goals. She also ranks ninth with 29 career points and third with seven game-winning goals. Roemer can also be found in the Westminster top-10 in shots (76) and shots on goal (40).
 
On the Scoresheet
• Heidi Lorschider scored one of the team's three goals in the win against Felician on September 4. The senior has attempted 10 shots this season and put four of them on frame. Lorschider has 16 career points and six career assists. She ranks 10th in team history with 61 shots.
 
Creating Chances
•Tiana Cerciello has a team-best 13 shots through the first four games of the season. The junior has put eight of those attempts on goal to tie for top honors on the team. Cerciello notched an assist in the win against Caldwell in the season opener.
 
Constant Presence
• Senior Maddie Lewis has started all four games at defense for the Griffins this season and she is the only player to play al 360 minutes of action. Lewis has now played in 56 consecutive games and made 52 straight starts. Lewis ranks eighth in team history with 4,975 minutes played and she is fourth all-time with those 52 straight starts.
 
Solid Start
• Breanna Empey has started all four games in goal for the Griffins and posted a 0.26 GAA and .889 save percentage. She has a 3-1 record with two shutouts on the year against 15 shots faced. Before allowing a goal to Dixie State on Tuesday, Empey went 345:04 minutes between goals which is the sixth-longest streak in team history.
 
Match Facts: Colorado Mesa
• Westminster is 2-0 all-time against Colorado Mesa
• The Griffins swept two meetings last season, including a 3-2 win on Grand Junction.
• CMU enters the week at 1-2-1 on the season and they will play a game against Angelo State on Wednesday.
• Three different players have a scored a goal for the Mavericks this season.
 
Looking Ahead
The Griffins will return home next weekend to host a pair of conference games. They welcome Western State to Dumke Field on September 23 before facing UCCS on September 25. Tickets for all Westminster home games are available at WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.