Blue Jays men's soccer team shuts out conference foe on Saturday

It took the Blue Jays just nine minutes to get on the board in taking down St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Blackburn on Saturday evening. Freshman midfielder Kyle Varner notched his first goal as a Blue Jay off an assist from senior Kurt Boardsen.

Senior forward Jeff Chacko added to the Blue Jays lead on a penalty kick in the 49th minute with Boardsen scoring a goal of his own in the 66th minute. Senior goalkeeper Taylor Webb got the win in goal.

Westminster improved to 11-5-1 on the season, including a 3-2-1 mark in the the SLIAC. They'll close out the home portion of their schedule tonight hosting conference opponent Principia starting at 7 p.m.

Westminster soccer(w)................. 3

Blackburn College.........................0

The Blue Jays women made a clean sweep of Blackburn with a victory on Saturday, their first SLIAC victory of the season. Senior midfielder Alex Johnson put the first points of the day on the board with her first goal of the season in the 22nd minute of play.

Junior forward Jen Brotherton took care of the rest of the scoring, netting an unassisted goal in the 29th minute and another one off an assist from junior midfielder Courtney Luebbert in the 49th minute.

Westminster (4-9, 1-5 SLIAC) plays its home finale tonight at 5 p.m. against conference rival Principia.

Stephens College...........................3

Westminster volleyball..................0

The Blue Jays took a break from conference play to take on Stephens College, losing by scores of 25-14, 25-23 and 25-19 on Saturday. Sophomore outside hitter Molly Owens led Westminster with nine kills on the day.

Freshman setter Shelly Wilson distributed 19 assists and sophomore outside hitter Alex Berry chipped in 15 digs for Westminster. The Blue Jays (10-15) host SLIAC foes Principia and Greenville at the Westminster Triangular on Saturday morning.

William Woods soccer (m)............3

Central Christian College..............0

The Owls closed out their home schedule with a shutout victory at Firley Field on Saturday. All three William Woods goals came in the first 45 minutes of play.

Junior forward Ruben Ramirez scored the Owls first goal unassisted just two minutes in as did freshman forward Joel DeLeon in the 18th minute. Junior Ivan Giovanni Velez scored last in the 35th minute.

The Owls (9-6-1) play at William Penn University tonight at 5 p.m.

Park University..............................3

William Woods soccer (w)............0

Parkville, MO -- The Owls were shut out Saturday afternoon, managing just one shot on goal. Freshman goalkeeper Kelly Abernathy allowed all three scores in the first half of play but still managed to come up with seven saves on the day.

The Owls (6-8-2) play their regular season-finale at Missouri Baptist University tonight at 7 p.m.

William Woods cross country compete at Graceland University Yellow Jacket Classic

LAMONI, Iowa -- Junior Cheryl Held led the charge on the women's side, one of four Owls runners competing in that division, with a 10th place finish on Saturday. Her time of 19:14 was the fourth fastest among NAIA participants.

Sophomore Amy Gangloff finished 22nd at a time of 19:58 and sophomore Courtney Henderson crossed the line in 47th with a time of 20:48. Junior Jordan Locke was the final Owl to cross, finishing in a time of 22:10.

The men's team finished seventh out of 18 teams on the day, led by the eighth place finish of sophomore Ryan Meyer in a time of 25:52. It was good for fourth place among NAIA runners with senior Jason Rose finishing 36th with a time of 27:14.

Both teams will compete in the American Midwest Conference Championships in Forest Park starting November 6.

William Woods basketball picked first and seventh in conference preseason polls

The Owls women's team were picked as the favorite to win the American Midwest Conference in a poll released by the league office last Thursday.

William Woods, who went 29-3 and 14-2 in conference last season, received five out of seven first-place votes and 60 points

They'll return four of five starters from that team, including third-team NAIA All-American senior forward Rachel Baker. Baker averaged 15 points and ten rebounds last season. They open up against Benedectine November 3 at 6 p.m.

The men's team, led by 2009-2010 AMC Co-Freshman of the Year Logan Decker, was picked to finish seventh. Decker tied for the team lead with 14 points per game for William Woods.

They host Avila University Monday night 7:30 p.m.