MORRIS, Minn. – The fall season is starting to wind down which means the Cougars have some important games this weekend. Soccer is on the road for the final weekend of conference play. Football is at St. Scholastica, looking to knock off the top team in the UMAC. Volleyball will host North Central and Waldorf during the kickoff to the Soles4Souls campaign.
Volleyball Minnesota Morris is 17-10 on the year and still undefeated in UMAC play. This weekend they welcome the North Central Rams in a conference match. They will also battle Waldorf in a non-conference affair. Morris will be collecting shoes to donate to those in need so if you are coming to the matches, bring shoes for a chance to win prizes. Matches begin at 1 p.m. in the P.E. Center.
The Cougars will look to improve to 6-0 in the UMAC and set up a huge match with Northwestern next Wednesday in St. Paul. In order to pick up a pairs of wins this weekend the UMM offense will most likely need to hit .200 or better. This season the Cougars are 16-1 when the offense finishes with an attack percentage above that mark. They are just 1-9 when they fail to reach that percentage.
Men's Soccer UMM will head to North Central looking to wrap up a spot in the UMAC Tournament. With just one match remaining the Cougars could finish as high as the three seed or fail to make the five team tournament. On Wednesday the Cougars moved closer to a spot after tying Bethany Lutheran. Morris will need their offense to convert on Saturday against the Rams, who are currently third in the conference.
Against Bethany, Morris racked up over 20 shots but had just six on net and only one that found the back of the net. The Cougars are averaging .94 goals per game this year, scoring on 18% of their shots on goal.
The Cougars will also be interested in the results of matches featuring Northwester, Martin Luther and Bethany Lutheran, whom along with UMM and North Central is battling for spots in the conference tournament.
On Sunday the Cougars will travel to take on Concordia Moorhead in a non-conference battle.
Women's Soccer The women's team has secured a spot in the conference tournament but the exact seed is still in question. Currently Morris is in the fourth position with one match to play. The Cougars can move up to the three seed if they can pick up a win and have the Northland LumberJills fall twice.
Minnesota Morris is riding high after a 4-0 win over Bethany Lutheran on Wednesday. They have now won two straight matches and four straight UMAC matches. They are outscoring opponents 19-1 in their last four conference matches.
Football The Cougars are in search of halting a six game losing streak to the Saints. Scholastica leads the all-time series 6-1. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Duluth.
The Cougars rank 67th in the NCAA in passing yards allowed. With the Saints affinity to throw the ball, UMM will need their pass defense to be step up on Saturday afternoon.
Last Saturday
Jacob Wirz had 15 tackles, an interception and pass defended against Crown. He helped secure the win by deflecting the Storm's last second pass at the goal line. He was named the UMAC Defensive Player of the Week for his effort. Wirz ranks 26th in the nation in tackles and 42nd in the NCAA in solo tackles.
The Cougars have four wins this year, one more than the previous two years combined. They are 4-2 in the UMAC for the first time since 2012. With three games remaining Morris can get to seven wins in the UMAC for the first time since 2006. One more win would secure a .500 record for the Cougars and a winning record in conference play.
St. Scholastica will look to stay perfect with a win over Morris. The Saints are coming off a big win over Northwestern last weekend. The defense has been carrying Scholastica this year, forcing 21 turnovers including 14 interceptions. Teams are averaging just over 100 yards through the air this season. UMAC teams are averaging just 8.5 points per game. The offense is averaging 349 yards per game this year. They have had success airing the ball out, throwing for 200 yards per game and 17 touchdowns.
