Soccer Preview: Blue Devils wrap up season at Eau Claire

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THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (5-12-0, 1-5-0 WIAC) will close out the season when they are at UW-Eau Claire (13-5-0, 4-2-0 WIAC), Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. The Blue Devils will be the home team while playing at Bollinger Fields. The Blugolds play at UW-Whitewater Wednesday, Oct. 30. 

JUST AN ODD SCHEDULE THIS YEAR: The Blue Devils were road warriors this year, with every single game a bus trip tallying more than 3000 bus miles. Four conference games that were originally to be played in Menomonie have been moved.  The Blue Devils will play UW-Stevens Point, Saturday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. at UW-River Falls; UW-Oshkosh, Saturday, Oct. 12 has been changed to 4:30 .m. at UW-River Falls.; UW-Whitewater, Saturday, Oct. 26 has been changed to 10 a.m. at UW-Eau Claire's Bollinger Field; and UW-Eau Claire, Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. will be at UW-Eau Claire's Bollinger Field. Stout will host Minnesota-Morris, Sunday, Oct. 27 at the UW-River Falls field. All of Stout's non-conference games are on the road. That will turn around next season when the new Stout facility is expected to be ready.


THE BLUE DEVILS THIS YEAR: The Blue Devils broke a five game losing streak with a 1-0 overtime win at UW-Platteville Oct. 19 to get back on the winning side of the ledger, then lost a conference game to UW-Whitewater, but bounced back for a 2-0 non-conference win over Minnesota-Morris, Oct. 27. Claudia Anderson has produced some solid games this season. Anderson has a 2.27 goals against average (GAA) and had has made 143 saves so far this season. She has three shutouts to her name and seven games where she has allowed one or fewer goals. She is posting a conference-best 8.94 saves per game, the most in the WIAC. Anderson has five games where she has recorded 10 or more saves. Erica Seitz made her first start and picked up her first collegiate win, downing Cornell College, 3-2, before missing a chunk of the season. She returned for the Whitewater game.  Marissa Steele and Ariel Kuchta lead the Blue Devils with two goals and an assist each and Hannah Kirchner has two goals, but all three have been out. Rachel Washington has one goal and three assists. Rachel Younker, Sarah Dickmann and Bella Pedlar each have a goal.  Sammy Krugel has a goal and and assist and Whitley Carothers, Megan Richardson, Adrianna Rieger and Megan Richardson each have an assist. Seitz has a GAA of 2.74.  | 2019 Statistics 

BLUE DEVILS LAST TIME OUT: On Senior Day, senior captains Sarah Dickmann and Bella Pedlar wasted no time leaving their marks on this game. Dickmann, who has played defense most of the season, moved up to midfield and got a breakaway and went straight up the middle to notch her first goal of the season in the third minute. Pedlar also scored her first goal of the season, scoring in the 42nd minutes and punched a left-footed shot into the right upper corner of the net to make the score 2-0. |  Minn-Morris Game Story and Stats  




A LOOK AT UW-EAU CLAIRE: The Blugolds are currently in third place in the WIAC, one point behind UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater, both teams they have beaten in the last week by identical 2-1 scores. La Crosse plays UW-Stevens Point and Whitewater plays UW-River Falls Saturday. Courtney Slowinski leads the team with five goals and three assists. Four Blugolds have four goals - Emily Sullivan, Tessa Grywalsky, Krista Koenig and Hannah Schaetzel. Sullivan has five assists. Anna Sveiven has seen action in all 18 games and has a GAA of 0.76 and a saves percentage of .887.   |  Season Statistics

THE BLUGOLDS LAST TIME OUT:  The Blugolds ran off the first two goals of the game, then held off UW-Whitewater to take a 2-1 win Wednesday in Whitewater. Things were quiet for a big chunk of the first half until Lauren Talbot dribbled her way into the front of the net and snuck the ball through multiple defenders to put Eau Claire on the board in the 30th minute. The Blugolds added a goal in the 52nd minute by Hannah Schaetzel . The Warhawks scored in the 66th minute to cut the lead in half.  Anna Sveiven had three saves to hold off the Warhawks.  |  Game Story and Stats

THE LAST TIME EAU CLAIRE AND STOUT MET:   UW-Eau Claire scored three first half goals and went on to a 5-0 win over UW-Stout Oct. 27, 2018, as the Blue Devils closed out the 2018 season.  The Blugolds scored in the 12th, 31st and 38th minutes of the first half and the 49th and 81st minutes of the second half. Claudia Anderson recorded 11 saves for the Blue Devils. | Game Story and Stats

THE SERIES: The Blugolds lead the series..  



BLUE DEVIL ATHLETES OF THE WEEK:  Week Eight: Offensive athlete of the week: Sarah Dickmann, Sr, Shawano, Wis.; Week Seven: Offensive athlete of the week:Sammy Krugel, So, Sheboygan, Wis. (North); Defensive athlete of the week: Claudia Anderson, So, North Branch, Minn. Week Four: Offensive athlete of the week: Ariel Kuchta, So, Green Bay, Wis. (Bayport); Defensive athlete of the week: none...Week Three: Offensive athlete of the week: none; Defensive athlete of the week: none...Week Two: Offensive athlete of the week: none; Defensive athlete of the week: Claudia Anderson, So, North Branch, Minn. Week One: Offensive athlete of the week: Rachel Washington, So, Milwaukee, Wis. (Shorewood); Defensive athlete of the week: none.

AWARDS: 2019: Ariel Kuchta was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week Sept. 23 after scoring a goal and an assist in Stout's 3-2 win over Cornell College...

TEAM CAPTAINS: Blue Devil team captains for the 2019 season are Sarah Dickmann, Bella Pedlar and Hannah Kirchner.

UW-STOUT COACH RYAN RAUFUS: Coach Ryan Raufus (60-84-19) is in his ninth year as the head coach of the Blue Devils. Raufus played his college ball at Springfield College in Massachusetts and came to Stout after coaching at La Crosse Logan High School and La Crescent, Minn., High School. (Raufus began the 2019 season at 55-72-19)


TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF BLUE DEVIL SOCCER: After many years as a club sport, UW-Stout became the ninth WIAC team to join the varsity ranks during the 1995 season. The Blue Devils took their lumps to open the season, making their premiere by hosting Augsburg College, Sept. 10, in a 7-0 loss. Stout opened the conference season three days later at Nelson Field, hosting perennial conference powerhouse UW-Stevens Point, dropping a 6-0 decision. The Blue Devils finally broke onto the scoreboard in their third game. While hosting UW-Platteville, Sept. 17, Kari Stapleton scored in the 70th minute on an assist from Jenny Tyson in a 2-1 loss. The Blue Devils would get their first-ever win, a 3-0 decision at Martin Luther College, Sept. 23, collecting goals from Amie Frasier, Tyson and Joann Sognesand. Defender Andrea Schroeder was a second team all-conference selection in 1995, then was selected to the first team in 1996. Members of that first 1995 team include: April Amys, Beeta Bastani, Tammy Beuch, Carrie Blaska, Jen Chapple, Michelle Coon, Amie Frasier, Aimee Grimm, Jamie Jester, Julie Kremer, Dorian Loberg, Amy Lyons, Kristin Manion, Anglea McDowell, Andrea Schroeder, Joann Sognesand, Kari Stapleton, Jenny Tyson, Alisa Zimmerman. Lisa Petruccelli was the Blue Devils first coach, leading the team from 1995-98, followed by Dave Morris (1999-2005), Meagan Frank (2006-10) and Ryan Raufus (2011-present). | 1995 Statistics

DOWN THE ROAD: The season is over.