Soccer wins key games

It was an all-too-familiar situation for the Bulldogs.

Last season, the squad entered a match against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville sitting just on the verge of the top three in the Great Lakes region and needing a win to give themselves a chance to make the postseason.

They lost 2-1.

This time around, again sitting on the outside looking in, the team rose to the occasion and knocked off then-No. 11 Rockhurst University (Mo.) by a score of 1-0 in front of 350 eager Rockhurst fans. The win greatly improved the 'Dogs' chance to make the postseason as Rockhurst was ranked second in the region entering the match.

With the win, the 'Dogs jumped from fourth to second in the regional poll, announced by the NCAA on Tuesday afternoon.

Senior forward Sean Birrell tallied the only Bulldog goal in the 75th minute off an assist by senior midfielder Martin Clayes.

"Our attack is very tough right now between Gaudreault, Sean [Birrell] and Lars [Pottgeisser] up front, and [Clayes is] having a great season in the new system we're in," head coach Duke Cochran said. "He can find the ball and do what he wants with it. Right now, our attack's very good, and our defense is shutting teams down."

Junior goalkeeper Nate Gibson and the defense pitched another shutout, as the last goal they allowed was Sept. 30 against Northern Kentucky University.

The rivalry between the 'Dogs and Rockhurst has escalated during the previous years, and that showed on the field Sunday as the teams combined for 46 fouls and five yellow cards.

The purple and white outshot the Hawks 8-4, with five of the Bulldogs' shots coming on goal, while only three shots were on goal for the home team.

"The intensity of our team right now is good across the board," Cochran said. "The depth of the team is one of its strengths this season, which is a tribute to them. They all feel a part of this, and everyone does what they can to make sure that we're there at the end."

One of the greatest coaches in the program's history returned to Kirksville on Wednesday afternoon. Former head coach Alf Bilbao, who left the team in March, returned with his new squad, the Drury University Panthers.

The 'Dogs did not allow him to have a joyful return to Kirksville as they defeated the Panthers 3-0 Wednesday afternoon.

"It was different coming back being on the other sideline because I know all the players," Bilbao said. "I would have liked a better result, but we played a very good team."

Birrell once again got things going with his seventh goal of the season at the 7:17 mark from another Clayes assist. The assist, his 16th of the year, ties him with John Cunliffe, a junior forward for Fort Lewis College (Colo.), for the NCAA Division II lead in assists.

Senior back Jared Atwood got his first goal of the season in the 65th minute on a penalty kick, while senior forward Nate Gaudreault finished off the scoring in the 88th minute with his eighth goal of the season.

The 'Dogs now sit at 14-3 on the season and No. 12 in the nation with three matches to play. Two of those occur this weekend against a pair of teams from outside the region in Memphis, Tenn. On Saturday, the team will take on No. 17 Central Arkansas, which will enter with a 12-2-1 record, while Sunday's match features opponent Christian Brothers University, which defeated No. 1 SIUE in the first match of the season.

"We want to get out and continue to play hard," Atwood said. "If we come out and play tough defense and get some balls in the back of the net, we should be able to get away with two more wins."

Cochran echoed those thoughts and hoped his team can benefit from the quality of play that awaits them this weekend.

"If we're going to play in the tournament, then we need to be able to play away from home against teams we haven't seen and do well," Cochran said. "Right now, I would hate to play us because we're playing well, and we'd really like to see Rockhurst and Wisconsin-Parkside having to battle hard for that last playoff spot."