Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Kickin' It!


The sixth-ranked Men’s Rockhurst Hawks will host the 2008 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional on Friday Nov 14th and Sunday Nov 16th at RU's Bourke Field. Rockhurst, 16-1-3, is the No. 1 seed and will face fourth-seeded Lewis, 14-1-2, in a first-round game at 7 p.m. Friday. The other first-round game on Friday matches second-seeded Northern Kentucky, 15-2-2, against third-seeded Ashland (Ohio), 15-3-2, at 4 p.m. The two winning teams will then meet at 1 p.m. Sunday, also at Bourke Field.

The Rockhurst women's soccer team is NCAA Tournament bound for the first time in school history. The Hawks found out Monday afternoon that they will be traveling north this week to play in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Kenosha, Wis. Rockhurst, 10-5-3, is the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region and will face third-seeded Northern Kentucky, 15-3, in a first-round game at 11 a.m. Friday. The winner will advance to play second-seeded Wisconsin-Parkside on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in Kenosha.

Regarding last Sunday’s match, senior goalkeeper Chad Becker, the GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, stopped five shots in posting his 14th shutout of the season. Junior forward Tom Heinemann scored his team-high 10th goal of the season on a header from six yards off a cross from Mark Anthony Foster to give Rockhurst a 1-0 lead late in the first half. The Hawks added an insurance goal in the 89th minute on a four-yard shot from senior midfielder Pat Kearns with assists to Kyle Samuelson and Heinemann.

Last Friday, the Hawks got past Drury in a seven-round shootout in the semifinals of the GLVC Tournament at Bourke Field. Becker stopped three consecutive penalty kicks to give the Hawks a 5-4 victory in the shootout after both teams battled to a 0-0 tie for 110 minutes. Heinemann, who led the Hawks with nine shots against Drury, also scored the game-winning goal in RU's 2-1 overtime victory over Wisconsin-Parkside in the first round of the GLVC Tournament on Nov. 2 at Bourke Field.

Congratulations to Coach Tocco and Coach Herdlick and our fine student athletes!