Lakeland, Fla. – The 22
nd ranked Southeastern women's soccer team is set to embark on its postseason journey. The Fire will host the Ave Maria Gyrenes in the opening round of the Sun Conference Tournament. SEU will appear in the tournament for the third consecutive season, but are seeking their first ever win in conference postseason play. With a win, the Fire would also tie the program record for most wins in a season (16) since joining the NAIA in 2009.
GAME: (22) Southeastern (15-1, 9-1 TSC) vs. Ave Maria University (5-10, 3-7 TSC) Saturday 7 p.m.
COVERAGE: Watch Stats
KANU DIG IT: Freshman
Uchenna Kanu has been on a scoring tear since joining the Fire mid-season. The Abia, Nigeria native has scored 11 goals through the first seven games of her collegiate career. Kanu most recently recorded a hat trick on the road against Ave Maria in which her three goals were scored in a span of less than 25 minutes. Her goal per minutes played ratio is an astounding one per 37.7 minutes this season and she has earned Sun Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for two consecutive weeks. With her 11 goals scored on the season as well as senior forward
Alyssa Kaminski's 12 goals, this marks the first time the Fire have had two double digit scorers since 2009.
HEIDI RUTHLESS: Ruth continues to lead the way for the Fire defense, limiting opponents opportunities to advance the ball past midfield. The junior midfielder from Punta Gorda, Fla. continues to create offensive opportunities for the Fire as well, as she picked up a pro style assist in a recent win over SCAD and netted her third goal of the season during the last game versus Ave Maria. When Ruth is on the field, opposing teams are averaging one shot on goal per 25 minutes and one goal scored per 224.8 minutes. Her recent defensive performances earned her Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.
PREVIOUS AVE MARIA: The Fire will face off against the Gyrenes for the third time this season. This is the first time SEU has played an opponent three times in one season since being swept by St. Thomas in 2011. This time, the Fire are the ones who have the opportunity to sweep their opponent. In the previous two games this season, the Fire have outscored Ave Maria 12-0 and three different players have recorded hat tricks for Southeastern. SEU has never lost to AMU in program history, leading the all-time series 14-0.
THE GYRENES: After starting out 0-3 in Sun Conference Play this season, Ave Maria won two out of three in conference play. The Gyrenes earned momentum building wins versus St. Thomas and Webber International. However, AMU ended the season in a rough patch, dropping three of its last four matches and being shutout in all three of those losses. Offensively the Gyrenes are led by sophomore midfielder Sarah McBride and junior forward Alexia Mazzoccone, who have each netted four goals on the season. The overall standout for the team this season has been senior goalkeeper Francesca Singleton. The Manchester, UK native has recorded a conference high 109 saves and has earned TSC weekly honors.
