Western Courier

Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Sports

Freshman goalkeeper Laura Atkinson has compiled a 5-3-1 record this fall.

After a slow start to the season, the Western Illinois women's soccer team has won four-straight matches and is on its way to The Summit League Championship.

"They just don't quit and give a great deal of effort until the last whistle," said head coach Tony Guinn. "We had some unfortunate endings early, but they never stopped trying, ever."

With the four-consecutive wins to end the season, the Leathernecks jumped into the fourth and final seed in the championship tournament.

"I think we obviously are the Cinderella team of the tournament," Guinn said. "We're the young team with a lot of heart that anybody who watches us would be proud of."

In their first playoff matchup, Western faces former league champions and top ranked South Dakota State. The 'Necks fell 2-1 at home when the two met earlier this season.

"They're a good team, and we think we'll have some opportunities with restarts and corner kicks," Guinn said. "Last time we played, the score was 1-1, and we didn't convert on a penalty kick that might have changed the outcome of the game."

The Jackrabbits take a five-game winning-streak into the postseason and will be working toward their second league championship in their first three seasons in the conference.

"We're not worried about who we play," Guinn said. "We've got this far and had our backs against the wall. A couple weeks ago I told them they got to win the next four games to get in, and they won them all."

Western has had 11 different players score goals on the season and five of those were freshmen.

"This just means that we have quite a bit of talent and a lot of young players," Guinn said. "It's a good sign for the future."

With a 5-3-1 record and 1.22 goals against average this season, freshman goalkeeper Laura Atkinson has been leading the way for the 'Necks defense.

Atkinson may only rank fifth in goals against average in the league, but she took defensive Player of the Week honors when she led the 'Necks to consecutive double-overtime victories against Centenary and Oral Roberts.

"Laura's done a great job," Guinn said. "We have had her play pretty much every conference so there would be no reason to change that."

The winner of this match will meet the winner of the North Dakota State-IUPUI match for the League Championship at noon on Sunday.

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