ROLLA, Mo.  --  The Miners host another pair of conference matches this weekend. First is UIS on Friday night at 5pm, which is Pink Out night with Phelps Health and Zeta Tau Alpha at Allgood-Bailey Stadium. Second is #23 McKendree University on Sunday at noon, which will be played on the S&T Soccer field.

About the Prairie Stars:
Illinois-Springfield is 3-2-3, with a 3-1-1 conference record. The Prairie Stars split last week's matches, defeating Southwest Baptist 3-1 on Friday, but falling to Rockhurst 0-4 on Sunday. UIS is the only team in the GLVC with a winning conference record and a negative scoring margin, being outscored 12 goals to 9 so far this season.
The Prairie Stars have shared the ball well this season, with eight different players scoring a goal and only junior midfielder Dani Auble scoring more than one. Brooke Biffar, a senior defender, leads the team with three assists, which ties her for sixth in the conference.
Goalie Allison Mirimanian has not had an incredible year statistically, ranking 9th in the conference for save percentage and 6th in goals against average, but did earn a defensive player of the week award two weeks ago.
 
About the Bearcats:
The Bearcats were ranked 13th in the country and were undefeated at the start of last week, but a 0-2 loss to the Drury Panthers dropped their record to 7-1. The Bearcats rebounded though, shutting out SBU for a 3-0 victory two days later, brining their season record to 8-1 and their conference record to 4-1. The loss to Drury dropped McKendree to #23 in the national poll.

The Bearcats have had an offensive onslaught in their first nine matches as they are tied for fourth in the country for goals scored and have the 11th most shots on goal per game in DII with 9.56.

Forward Anna Stiffler will be a key player to watch in this match, as she leads the conference in shots with 39 and is tied for first in assists with 5 in the first nine matches. Additionally, she is tied for first in the nation for game-winning goals with four.

The Bearcats will face the Lincoln University of Missouri on Friday ahead of their Sunday match against the Miners.
 
About the Miners:
The Miners went 0-1-1 during conference play last week which featured a pair of games in St. Louis, Missouri. S&T lost their match against now 20th-ranked Maryville University 0-2 despite Anastasia Barcom (St. Louis, MO/Rosati-Kain) setting a new career high in saves with 12. The Miners were able to end a three-game losing streak two days later when they tied with Missouri-St. Louis 1-1 thanks to a late goal by Brooke Bendoff (Kirkwood, MO/Kirkwood).
 
Holding Maryville to just 2 goals in last week's match could easily be considered a success for the Miners defense, as they Saints are tied for second in the country for goals scored and were averaging just under 4 goals per game prior to the match. The defense will need to step up again this weekend, especially on Sunday's match against McKendree considering their offensive success this year.

What's Next:
The Miners will hit the road for the longest trip of the conference season as they visit Lewis and UIndy.
 
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