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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – After sneaking into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, the Northeastern State women's soccer team is set to meet top seed and No. 8-ranked Central Missouri in the opening round of the 2014 MIAA Championship. The team will play the Jennies at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 in Warrensburg, Missouri.

The RiverHawks (8-10, 5-9 MIAA) are coming off a vital 2-1 double overtime victory over No. 2 seed Southwest Baptist that lifted the side into the postseason. NSU had to win and have both Nebraska-Kearney and Northwest Missouri State lose on the final day just to clinch the eighth and final spot in the championship.

Freshman forward Melissa Giles (6g-1a=13p) leads Northeastern State in scoring and has recorded two multigoal games. Sophomore forward Anastasia Robinson (1g-4a) leads the RiverHawks in assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Woodruff (8-10) owns a 1.30 goals-against average and a .795 saves percentage. She has recorded four shutouts this season, which improved her school record to 14 career clean sheets.

The Jennies conceded a season-high two goals in the first half of a 4-2 victory over NSU Oct. 19 at DeLoache Field. The RiverHawks will be looking to hand Central Missouri its first loss of 2014. The winner of the match will face either No. 4 Central Oklahoma or No. 5 Lindenwood at 4 p.m. Nov. 7 in Olathe, Kansas.

WHO ARE THE JENNIES?
The University of Central Missouri is located in Warrensburg, Missouri, and the team competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The Jennies (17-0-1) have put up a 14-0 mark in MIAA play and have yet to lose in the 2014 campaign. They won the MIAA regular season championship for the fifth straight year. Julie Ireland (9g-5a=23p) leads the Jennies with nine goals. Hannah Pyle and Alex Yockey both have seven goals on the year. Pyle (7g-7a=21p) also leads the team in assists. Goalkeeper Ana Dilkes (17-0-1) has recorded 10 shutouts in 2014. She also has a 0.55 goals-against average and a .877 saves percentage.
 
RIVERHAWKS IN THE CONFERENCE TOURNEY
Northeastern State has qualified for the MIAA Championship all three years since joining the MIAA. The RiverHawks were the No. 4 seed in 2012 and won an opening-round home playoff game 2-1 over Northwest Missouri State. NSU then fell at No. 1 seed Central Missouri 1-0 in the semifinals. Northeastern State finished runner-up in the regular season last year and was awarded the No. 2 seed in the tournament. The RiverHawks were upset at home by No. 7 seed Emporia State in the first round. Junior forward Lindsey Latta is the only player on the roster to have scored in the postseason. She potted the game winner against the Bearcats two years ago.
 
WOODRUFF CONTINUES TO IMPROVE SCHOOL RECORD
Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Woodruff has improved her school record to 14 career clean sheets. Woodruff became the record holder in 2013 when she posted 10 shutouts. This mark was also a new record for shutouts in a single season. Deb Hill previously held both records. Hill, who was the top RiverHawks net minder in 2010 and 2011, had nine career clean sheets including five in 2010, which was the previous single season record. Woodruff has added four shutouts in her sophomore campaign. She has made 49 saves in 10 games.   
 
GLEASON, MATHIS EARN WEEKLY ACCOLADES
Rachel Gleason and Julia Mathis both earned weekly conference awards, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced Tuesday morning. Gleason was honored as the MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week, while Mathis was named the MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week. Gleason, a redshirt sophomore defender from Lucas, Texas, powered a backline that shutout Central Oklahoma in regulation and held a powerful Southwest Baptist side to just one goal. The RiverHawks qualified for the playoffs on the final day of the regular season by defeating the second-place Bearcats 2-1 in double overtime. The 108th-minute victory, coupled with losses by Nebraska-Kearney and Northwest Missouri State, lifted NSU from 10th to eighth place in the final standings. SBU and UCO had a combined 68 goals this season but could only muster one goal total against NSU in regulation, thanks primarily to the play of Gleason. Mathis, a true freshman midfielder from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was primarily responsible for pushing Northeastern State into the playoffs on the other end of the pitch. After NSU went down a goal to Southwest Baptist, she volleyed a shot off the post in the 53rd minute to equalize. She then drew the foul in the box in the 108th minute that led to the game-winning penalty kick goal from junior midfielder McKenzie Musella. Southwest Baptist had conceded just one goal total in its last five matches – all victories – and the team had only allowed more than one goal in a match three times this season prior to Sunday.
 
WOOTEN NEARING 100 CAREER VICTORIES
Chase Wooten is currently in his fifth season as head coach of the Northeastern State women's soccer program. His record at NSU is 54-29-9, and his .636 winning percentage is the best in school history. His collegiate record as a head coach currently stands at 97-89-16. Wooten has taken the program to new heights since arriving at NSU. He has led the RiverHawks to the four best defensive seasons in school history, including a 2013 team that conceded a program-best 14 goals. The 2010 team allowed just 17 goals, while the other two top defensive units in school history were also under Wooten's watch (2011-12). He has guided Northeastern State to winning seasons in each of his first four years with the program. The previous best prior to Wooten taking over was just two consecutive winning campaigns. The 2013 team broke the school record for most wins (15) and best win percentage (.789) in a single season, while tying the all-time mark for fewest losses in a single campaign (4). The squad boasted four first-team all-region performers and the MIAA Goalkeeper of the Year in Jordan Woodruff.
 
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