WIAC Soccer Championship | Watch | Live Stats
THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (11-7-1, 3-4-0 WIAC) will open the WIAC Championship, presented by Culver's, to UW-Stevens Point (8-9-0, 4-3-0 WIAC), Tuesday, Nov. 2. Stout defeated the Pointers, 2-1, Oct. 30, and will look to make it two in a row. The Blue Devils have secured the sixth seed in the tournament and will be on the road for entire WIAC tournament. A win over UW-Stevens Point and the Blue Devils will be top-seeded UW-Oshkosh, Thursday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. The 11 wins Stout gathered is the most in a single season since the 2011 season.
Stout will be making their first trip to the WIAC Championship tournament since the 2017 season when they defeated the Pointers, 2-1, in double overtime in Menomonie. Stout was the fourth seed that season; the Pointers were the fifth seed. Stout lost to UW-La Crosse in the second round.
Stout has played Stevens Point only twice in the WIAC Tournament, going 1-1-0. Stout won the 2017 contest, but lost 1-0 to the Pointers during the 2011 tournament.
The Blue Devils have a 4-18-3 tournament record in the WIAC Championship tournament. Stout's last trip to the tournament was 2017, which ended a streak of five consecutive trips to the tournament. The Blue Devils have not played in a conference tournament championship game. Stout played in the semi-finals in 2017, 2013, 2005, 1996, and 1995. Stout played to ties in 2013 and 2009, and did not advance due to losing the shootout. Stout did advance to the semi-finals on a 1-1 tie in 1996 when the Blue Devils outshot UW-River Falls in the quarterfinal game.
PETS: While service animals are welcome, no pets are allowed at WIAC athletic events.
A LOOK AT THE 2021 BLUE DEVILS: The Blue Devils rebounded well and have won two of their last three games. Stout is averaging 1.58 goals per game, while giving up 1.05 per contest. One has to look back more than 15 years to find Stout teams that produced more goals or allowed so few. The 2005 team allowed 0.62 goals per game and the 2004 team averaged 3.76 goals per contest. The 2012 team scored 32 goals and the 2010 team scored 44 goals. Stout has six shutouts on the 2021 season. Marissa Steele leads the team in scoring with five goals and seven assists for 12 points. Steele's seven assists is tied for first in the WIAC. Freshman Lexi Boyd leads the team in goals with six, 10th in the WIAC. Fellow freshman Liv Winkler is second on the team in goals with five and Winkler has three assists, charting two against UW-River Falls. Carly Kauffman has three goals and three assists, while Rachel Younker, Remy Soulak and Lauren Chukel each have two goals. Soulak and Kauffman each have three assists, as does senior Caylee Boone, who scored her first goal of the season against River Falls. Younker scored her first two goals of the season in the regular season finale Oct. 30 at Stevens Point when she scored twice in the first 15 minutes of the game, becoming the first Blue Devil to score two goals in a single game since Marissa Steele scored twice against UW-River Falls, Sept. 26, 2018. In goal, Haley Vokaty has started the last 17 games and has posted an 9-7-1 record with a 1.19 goals against average (GAA) and 65 saves. Vokaty has recorded four shutouts and has allowed one or fewer goals in 13 games. | 2021 Statistics
THE BLUE DEVILS LAST TIME OUT: Rachel Younker doubled her career goal totals, scoring two goals in the first 15 minutes of the game and the Blue Devils went on to a 2-1 win at UW-Stevens Point Saturday. Younker scored in the sixth minute of the game, then added another unassisted goal in the 15th minute of the game. Younker came into the game with two career goals. She finished the game with only two shots, both on net and both goals. The Blue Devil defense held the Pointers scoreless until the 75th minute of the game when McKenzie Johnson scored. Both teams had 10 total shots in the first half, but the Pointers outshot Stout 9-3 in the second half. Stout put four shots on net in the first half and the Pointers tested Blue Devil goalie Haley Vokaty with three shots in the first half. While allowing the one goal, Vokaty made five second half saves, eight total. The Pointers Miranda Nieman recorded six saves. The 11 wins on the season are the most since the 2011 season. | Stevens Point Game Story and Stats
REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Blue Devils were ranked eighth in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Region IX Oct. 12 poll but have since dropped out. | USC Regional Poll
A LOOK AT UW-STEVENS POINT: Kati Frierdich is fourth in the WIAC in goals scored with nine and has added one assist this year. The junior also has three game-winning goals. Hannah Kroupa has four goals and two assists, while Gabby Dunn has three goals and three assists. Jessica Camarato has two goals and three assists, one of three Pointers with three assists, along with Dunn and Mara Gustafson. McKenzie Johnson, who played basketball at UW-Stout last season, has two goals, including the single goal the Pointers scored against Stout last weekend. In goal, Miranda Nieman has worked 14 games with 76 saves and a GAA of 1.96. Brookelyn Heiss has worked six games and has a GAA of 1.56. | Season Statistics
THE POINTERS LAST TIME OUT: Stevens Point was unable to climb out of an early hole in a 2-1 setback to UW-Stout in the regular season finale on Saturday. The Blue Devils posted two goal in the first 15 minutes of play to put the Pointers behind early. Just 1:21 into the second half, the Pointers had a chance to pull one back. The Pointers were awarded a penalty kick and Mara Gustafson stepped to the spot. Her attempt was saved keeping the Pointers off the board. In the 75th minute, UWSP finally broke through. Sophia Reddan set up McKenzie Johnson for her second goal of the season as UWSP got within one. UWSP forced UW-Stout goalkeeper Haley Vokaty to make four more saves in regulation, but were unable to find an equalizer. Vokaty made eight saves for the win. UWSP goalkeeper Miranda Nieman had six saves. | Game Story and Stats
THE LAST TIME STEVENS POINT AND STOUT MET: UW-Stout opened the WIAC season by hosting UW-Stevens Point at Ramer Field Saturday and the Pointers came away with a 5-0 win. Claudia Anderson and Erica Seitz combined for 13 saves for Stout (3-6-0, 0-1-0 WIAC). Anderson recorded eight saves, but allowed four goals. Seitz came on to make five saves and allowed one goal. The Pointers controlled the field, outshooting Stout 39-1. | Game Story and Stats
THE SERIES: The Pointers hold a 20-8-1 lead in the series. Stout broke a two-game losing streak to the Pointers on Saturday. | History
BLUE DEVIL ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Week Nine: Offensive player of the week: Rachel Younker, Jr, Genoa, Ill. (Genoa-Kingston). Defensive player of the week: Haley Vokaty, Fr, Hugo, Minn. (White Bear Lake); ; Week Eight: none; Week Seven: none; Week Six: none; Week Five: Offensive player of the week: Marissa Steele, Sr, Farmington, Minn. Defensive player of the week: Mekenzie Bisel, Sr, Dundas, Minn. (Northfield) Week Four: Offensive athlete of the week: Remy Soulak, So, Northfield, Minn. Defensive athlete of the week: Haley Vokaty, Fr, Hugo, Minn. (White Bear Lake); Week Three: Offensive athlete of the week: Liv Winkler, Fr, Duluth, Minn. (East); Week Two: Offensive athlete of the week: Marissa Steele, Sr, Farmington, Minn; Defensive athlete of the week: Hailey Kane, Fr, Green Bay, Wis (Bayport). Week One: Offensive athlete of the week: Liv Winkler, Fr, Duluth, Minn. (East); Defensive athlete of the week: Hailey Kane, Fr, Green Bay, Wis (Bayport).
AWARDS: 2021: Marissa Steele was the WIAC/Kwik Trip athlete of the week and the UW-Stout athlete of the week, Sept. 14, after scoring two game winning goals against St. Scholastica and Cornell College...Liv Winkler was the UW-Stout athlete of the week after scoring a goal in each of the first two games of the season, including the game winner in the season opener against Concordia-Moorhead...2020: no season.
TEAM CAPTAINS: Blue Devil team captains for the 2021 season are Lexie Wescott, Caylee Boone and Marissa Steele.
UW-STOUT COACH RYAN RAUFUS: Coach Ryan Raufus (71-92-20) is in his 11th year as the head coach of the Blue Devils in 2021. 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 2021 season at 60-85-19)
2019 ROAD WARRIORS: The Blue Devils were road warriors in 2019, with every single game a bus trip tallying more than 3000 bus miles on the season. Four conference games that were originally to be played in Menomonie were moved and Stout played "home" games with UW-Stevens Point, UW-Oshkosh and Minnesota-Morris at UW-River Falls, while "home" games with UW-Whitewater and UW-Eau Claire were played in Eau Claire.
TWENTY-FIVE-PLUS 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, Angela 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: With a win Tuesday at Stevens Point, the Blue Devils would travel to UW-Oshkosh, Thursday, Nov. 4 for a 6 p.m. game.
