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2013 GREAT AMERICAN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS (4) East Central vs. (1) Southwestern Oklahoma State Friday, November 8, 2 pm Weatherford, Okla. (SWOSU Athletic Complex) Tournament Homepage  |  Live Stats

Weekly Notes (pdf)

NCAA Regional Rankings (Nov. 6)
 
Setting the Scene
      After wrapping up a second consecutive Great American Conference regular season championship last weekend, the SWOSU soccer team now turns their focus to becoming the first team in GAC history to win back-to-back conference tournament titles. By winning the regular season championship, the Bulldogs have earned the right to host the conference tournament in Weatherford starting on Friday morning.
      No. 2-seed Ouachita Baptist and No. 3-seed Harding will get the tournament started with the first semifinal on Friday morning at 11 am before the Bulldogs take the field at approximately 2 pm to face fourth-seeded East Central in the other. The Bulldogs and Tigers played just once during the regular season with SWOSU claiming a 3-1 victory back on October 20. An earlier scheduled meeting in Ada was originally postponed then cancelled after it was determined the game would have no bearing on the outcome of the conference race.
      The two winning teams from Friday's semifinals advance to the GAC Tournament Championship game that will begin on Sunday. That game will begin at 1 pm from the Athletic Complex and be broadcast live online through the GAC Sports Network at http://gacsportsnetwork.com.

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The Coaches
      Mark Persson is in his fifth season at SWOSU in 2013. He has orchestrated an amazing turnaround and he holds a 51-36-8 record leading the Lady Bulldogs, becoming the program's all-time winningest coach during the 2012 season. He has now lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back conference championships, the only two in program history, and he has twice been recognized as a conference coach of the year, most recently claiming the GAC's honor in 2012.
      Riley Bailey is in his ?fth season as the head coach of the East Central University women's soccer program. Bailey led the Lady Tigers to Great American Conference regular season and postseason tournament championships in 2011 and to the GAC semi?nals in 2012. Bailey has a 31-48-9 record through four-plus seasons leading the Lady Tigers.
 
At the Conference Tournament
      Last season's run through the Great American Conference Tournament provided the first two postseason victories in SWOSU soccer history. The Bulldogs are now 2-1 all-time in the GAC Tournament after defeating Harding 4-0 and Ouachita Baptist 2-1 to win the 2012 tournament crown. In 2011, the Bulldogs were ousted by Ouachita Baptist 1-0 in the opening round of the tournament, which was hosted in Ada.
 
About the Opponents
      East Central enters the conference tournament with a record of 4-16 with all four victories coming during Great American Conference play. The Tigers finished fifth in the conference with a 4-5 record, but claimed the fourth seed for the conference tournament. Ashley Bradford and Kourtney Holleman lead the team with five goals apiece.
 
Standings Check
      For the second consecutive season, the SWOSU soccer team has reigned supreme in the Great American Conference during the regular season. The Bulldogs earned their second consecutive conference championship with a 7-1-1 conference record, making SWOSU 16-1-2 in GAC contests during the past two seasons. SWOSU soccer had never won a conference championship before last season.
 
Bertrand Honored Again
      For the second time in 2013, and the seventh time in her career, SWOSU's Kira Bertrand has been named the Great American Conference Defender of the Week. The conference office announced the weekly awards on Tuesday afternoon.
      Bertrand helped the Bulldogs to a 1-1 record last weekend, including a 2-0 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Senior Day which clinched a second consecutive GAC Championship for SWOSU. In the match, SWOSU limited the Rangers to just two shots, one on goal, and recorded their sixth shutout of the season.
      On Sunday, the Bulldogs were handed their fourth loss of the season as they fell to Lone Star Conference co-champions Midwestern State 2-0 despite holding the Mustangs to 11 shots, six on goal.
      A native of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, Bertrand is the two-time defending Great American Conference Defender of the Year and she was an All-Central Region selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) in 2012.
 
Still in the Hunt
      SWOSU stood firm at ninth in the most recent NCAA Central Region rankings, meaning the Bulldogs have work to do if they hope to advance to their second straight NCAA Division II tournament.
      The Bulldogs will need to reach the top six in the rankings to make it into the tournament due to the Great American Conference not having an automatic berth.