Women's Soccer 11/20/2024 7:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

Bronchos Open NCAA Tournament Friday

Central Oklahoma Meets Washburn In Central Regional First Round

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Central Oklahoma continues the postseason with the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship Central Regional Friday when the Bronchos take on Washburn in a first-round matchup.

UCO is the No. 4 seed in the Central Regional tournament and Washburn the No. 5 seed. Top-seeded Central Missouri is hosting the sub-regional and will play No. 8 Ouachita Baptist following UCO's contest with WU.

Central Oklahoma enters the national tournament for the 16th time in program history (since 1998) and the first time since 2021. The Bronchos carry a 12-6-3 record into the weekend. UCO was also the No. 4 seed in the MIAA Championship and beat top-seeded Washburn in the semifinals before falling to third-seeded Central Missouri.

No. 2 Minnesota State is hosting the other side of the eight-team regional tournament and will play No. 7 St. Cloud State Friday while No. 3 Missouri Western faces No. 6 Concordia St. Paul.

UCO and Washburn met twice this season. The Bronchos traveled to Topeka, Kansas for the regular season match and the two schools played to a scoreless draw after 90 minutes of physical action. In last week's championship semifinals, UCO scored after an hour of play and beat WU 1-0.

Central Oklahoma owns a 14-3-2 all-time record against Washburn. The Bronchos met the Ichabods on the pitch only three times before joining the MIAA in 2012, and the series was 1-1-1. UCO won the next nine as league rivals, including two in the postseason. Friday marks the first time the two have met in the NCAA tournament.

Heading into the weekend, Central Oklahoma averages right at 2.0 goals per game, with 42 scores in 21 games. The Bronchos take on average 15.2 shots per game and put 56.1 percent of their shots on goal. Defensively, UCO allows 1.24 goals per game – 26 in 21 games – and opponents take 9.7 shots per game, putting 54.2 percent on target.

Rebekah George leads the team with 10 goals this season. Rebecca Tweedy has seven, Madison Linavong six, and Caleah Carter has five. Carter's score against Washburn knocked them out of the playoffs last weekend.

Carter, along with Harmony Turner and Emma Nicholas, lead the offense with four assists each.

Avery Bass has played 18 of 21 games in goal and started each of those. The junior keeper has played 1,478 minutes, making 73 saves and allowing just 17 goals for a 1.03 GAA. Bass is 10-5-2 in goal and has eight shutouts on the season, including two against Washburn.

Washburn averages 1.8 goals per game this year with 36 scored in 20 games. The Ichabods have only conceded eight goals all season, 0.40 per game, and have 15 shutouts.

In 15 previous appearances in the NCAA tournament, Central is 8-10-4 overall. The Bronchos are 6-5-4 in the first round, losing on penalties in each of the four draws.

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Players Mentioned

#0 Avery Bass: GK; 5' 9"; Junior

#11 Madison Linavong: MF; 5' 7"; Senior

#13 Emma Nicholas: MF; 5' 4"; Sophomore

#22 Harmony Turner: MF; 5' 5"; Senior

#14 Rebecca Tweedy: F; 5' 5"; Junior

#24 Caleah Carter: F; 5' 6"; Freshman

#27 Rebekah George: MF; 5' 4"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#0 Avery Bass
: 5' 9"; Junior
: GK

#11 Madison Linavong
: 5' 7"; Senior
: MF

#13 Emma Nicholas
: 5' 4"; Sophomore
: MF

#22 Harmony Turner
: 5' 5"; Senior
: MF

#14 Rebecca Tweedy
: 5' 5"; Junior
: F

#24 Caleah Carter
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: F

#27 Rebekah George
: 5' 4"; Graduate Student
: MF