Women's Soccer 10/31/2019 8:11:00 AM Chris Brannick

Central Heads To Wichita To Open Final Weekend

WICHITA, Kan. – The University of Central Oklahoma soccer team hits the road for the final week of the 2019 regular season. The Bronchos take on Newman Friday at 7 p.m. in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association action. UCO will also play Rogers State in Claremore, Okla. on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the season finale.

Central Oklahoma is 10-4-2 this season and has a 5-4-0 record in league play. The Bronchos have won two in a row heading into the final weekend.

UCO will try to find itself in the top four of the MIAA standings Sunday afternoon. The MIAA Postseason Tournament begins next Friday, Nov. 8, and the top four teams host an opening round playoff game. The semifinals and final will be held at the highest remaining seed's campus Nov. 15-17.

Central heads into the weekend looking to maintain its high scoring offense. UCO has scored 53 goals this season – most in the MIAA. Kelsie Eason leads the Bronchos in that charge with 13 goals scored. She also has eight assists. Asha Haile, who was named MIAA Offensive Player of the Week last week, has scored 12 goals and has a team-high 11 assists. And Haley Post has seven goals and six assists. Those three up front create a lethal attack that can strike in a moment's notice.

Defensively, the Bronchos continue to be led by All-American center back Kelsey Gordon, who was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week last week. She not only helps the Bronchos limit chances for opponents, but she's also scored a pair of goals this season. Taryn Kedzior, Central's left back, carry's a similar load. She has five goals this season but plays a crucial role in shutting down every chance opponents think they can make. Teams average just 1.4 goals per game against the Bronchos but only take on average eight shots per game.

Kaitlyn Asher, who also earned weekly league honors last week to give the Bronchos a sweep of the awards, has played in 13 of 16 games in net for Central. She is 8-3-2 with a 0.92 goals against average and has made 35 saves.

UCO and Newman played earlier this season in a non-conference match in Edmond. The game ended in a 0-0 tie after two overtime periods. Newman is 7-3-6 overall and the defensive-minded program has nine shutouts on the season.

The Bronchos also played Rogers State earlier this season in a non-conference match. UCO won that game 4-1. Rogers is 5-6-5 on the year.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Kaitlyn Asher: GK; 5' 7"; Junior

#10 Kelsie Eason: MF; 5' 6"; Junior

#5 Kelsey Gordon: D; 6' 0"; Senior

#19 Asha Haile: F; 5' 4"; Senior

#14 Taryn Kedzior: D; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#13 Haley Post: F; 5' 5"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#1 Kaitlyn Asher
: 5' 7"; Junior
: GK

#10 Kelsie Eason
: 5' 6"; Junior
: MF

#5 Kelsey Gordon
: 6' 0"; Senior
: D

#19 Asha Haile
: 5' 4"; Senior
: F

#14 Taryn Kedzior
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: D

#13 Haley Post
: 5' 5"; Senior
: F