Midwest Roundup - Week 5

By D3soccer.com Contributor

It is officially October! Which means we have hit the halfway point of the regular season and are in the thick of conference play across the region. From the OAC and NCAC to the SAA and HCAC, teams are battling for regular season championships and berths into conference tournaments. Let’s glance across the Midwest and see where the action has been heating up.

TENNESSEE

Maryville (8-2-0) has continued its solid run of form, winning eight of their first ten games and four straight. Most impressively, the Scots thumped Centre by a 6-1 scoreline in an out-of-conference game this weekend, with Caleb Lucas notching a brace. While an at-large bid may still be a long shot due to strength of schedule, Coach Pepe Fernandez’s team will be pushing for a USA South championship.

OHIO

The Ohio Northern Polar Bears keep on rolling, earning a huge 1-0 win over Mount Union in their OAC opener to remain undefeated at 11-0-1. Despite tallying 23 shots on the night, it was not until the 82nd minute that ONU finally broke through, with junior Chris Garbig scoring the game’s lone goal. Coach Brent Ridenour is hoping for some similar magic this fall to their national finalist run in 2012.

KENTUCKY

After their worst start in five years, Spalding (4-6-0) has picked up steam and won its last three games, including their first two conference games: a 1-0 shutout win over SLIAC favorite Westminster and a 5-0 thrashing of Fontbonne. Coach Adam Boyer and the Golden Eagles are led by Osman Hussein’s four goals.

ILLINOIS

After starting 0-2-2, Dominican has now won six straight games, including their opening four games in the NACC. Adam Yaghmour leads the Stars with four goals, but the success of Coach Erick Baumann’s team has come from balanced contribution across the roster.

Opening action in one of the toughest conferences in the country could not slow Chicago down, as the Maroons earned a big 2-0 win over Emory this weekend. At 11-0-0, Chicago has scored 32 goals this fall and allowed just three. With home games versus Brandeis and Rochester next up, it will be fun to continue watching this group perform.

INDIANA

Despite losing four out of their last five games, Rose-Hulman (5-5-0) picked up an emphatic 3-0 win in their HCAC opener over Transylvania, another conference favorite. Alex Jansen scored two goals in that game for Coach Sean Helliwell’s side. RHIT always seems to get going at this time of year, so keep your eye on the Engineers throughout October. Their season finale on October 29 at Hanover could be a decisive game.

With less than a month remaining in many team’s regular seasons, it is officially do or die time. These next two weeks will begin to dictate the postseason landscapes across the Midwest and conference tournament seedings will begin to take shape.

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