UTM prepares to head to Cape Girardeau, Mo. for the 2002 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Nov. 8-10. First-round play for the Skyhawks will begin at 4 p.m., Nov. 8 with third-seeded UTM (9-6-3, 3-2-1 in OVC) playing second-seeded Eastern Illinois (10-7-2, 4-1-1 in OVC). All tournament games are being held at Southeast Missouri’s Houck Stadium.

Eastern Illinois, which was picked as the preseason favorite to take the OVC title, is the defending OVC champion. The Panthers beat Southeast Missouri 1-0 last season in the championship game.

EIU returns 12 letterwinners from its championship squad, including four members that were named to all-conference teams.

The Panthers beat UTM 1-0 in their Oct. 25 meeting in Charleston, Ill. Audra Frericks had the lone goal in the game with Cara LeMaster assisting.

The Panthers are led by junior forward Beth Liesen with her nine goals and eight assists. Liesen also has three game-winning goals for EIU. Frericks leads the team with 10 assists and is tied for 26 in the NCAA in assists per game (0.56).

Frericks and Liesen, along with teammate Rebecca Traen, were given all-OVC first team honors last season. Traen is a junior defender with one goal and one assist this season.

LeMaster, who was named to the All-OVC second team last season, has seven goals and six assists this season.

Sophomore goalkeeper Lindsey Dechert has spent the most time in the goal. She has 62 saves and a 1.10 GAA for the season.

EIU got off to a rough start, beginning the season with a 2-5-1 record in its first eight games. The Panthers rebounded and finished the season 8-2-1 in its last 11 games. Eastern Illinois finished the conference schedule 4-1-1, with its sole loss coming from top-ranked Southeast Missouri, 1-0.

UTM enters the tournament by posting its most successful season in the team’s history with a 9-6-3 record. The most wins the Skyhawks had before this season was four in the 2001 season. The Skyhawks will be making their third tournament appearance since starting women’s soccer in 1998.

The Skyhawks are led by freshman forward Dani Myrick with her 16th goals and seven assists on the season. Myrick is ranked 10th in the NCAA in points per game (2.38) and 16 in the NCAA in goals per game (0.94). She also leads the OVC in points (17), points per game (2.83), goals (7) and goals per game (1.17) Sophomore Amy King has been a big force for UTM coming off the bench this season. King has seven goals and three assists this season.

Also coming up big for the Skyhawks has been freshman Katie Jackson with her six goals and senior Sherrie Weeks. Weeks has four goals and four assists for UTM.

Sophomores Ginger Parson, Christina Moore and Rachel Callahan have four goals each on the season for the Skyhawks. Senior midfielder Tavi Renier is second on the team in assists with five. The Skyhawks have the 20th most scoring offense in the NCAA.

UTM has been doing it on defense as well. Senior goalkeeper Caryn Scheufler has 104 saves with a 1.45 GAA on the season for the Skyhawks. Sophomore Meghann Jordan and freshmen Kitty Trent and Lindsey Tilk have been a solid force for the UTM defense, allowing 1.47 goals per game.

UTM struggled late in the season. After starting 9-2-2, the Skyhawks went winless in their last five games of the season, going 0-4-1.

The losses to OVC members Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois. The Skyhawks earned a tie against Murray State. The Skyhawks set several new school records this season, including shots in a match (39 at Jackson State, 9-20-02), goals in a match (10 vs. Morehead State, 10-11) and fewest shots allowed (1 at Jackson State , 9-20-02). With the completion of the regular season, Skyhawks Myrick and Weeks are currently tied for most career goals (16) and most career assists (7).

The winner of the UTM-EIU match will advance to the OVC championship against the winner of the Southeast Missouri (6-0)-Tennessee Tech (3-3) match. SEMO and Tech will play at 7 p.m. Friday. The championship game will be played at 2 p.m. Sunday. The tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Admission will be $3 for adults, $1 for those 18-and-under and free for students from participating schools with an ID.