Box Score ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western Soccer team will host the last two of its six game home stand to start out the 2019 season this week.
 
The Griffons (1-2-1) will look to build on the success of Sunday's match against Sioux Falls as they scored two goals and grabbed their first win of the season. The game on Friday will feature Missouri Southern (1-3) at 8 p.m. and Sunday will offer the Griffons taking on rival Northwest Missouri (1-2-1) at 1 p.m. While MWSU is facing two MIAA opponents this weekend, the games will not count toward the conference standings. The Griffons' first official conference game will come on Sept. 29 at Missouri Southern.
 
SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS

• Coach Chad Edwards may continue to mix new faces into the lineup this weekend, as 23 of the 29 Griffs on the roster have logged minutes through the first four games of the season.
• Missouri Western has made vast improvements on the offensive end, as they took more shots on goal in Sunday's match against Sioux Falls than in the previous three matches combined.
• The Griffons are fourth in the MIAA in average shots per game with 16.75 shots.
• Taylor Schwartzkopf is currently fifth in the MIAA in shots per game with an average of 4.5.
• Anna Mayer's 35 saves this season are still a league-high in 2019. Her average for saves per game of 8.75 is also top of the MIAA leaderboards. She ranks fifth in the conference in save percentage at .875.

 
SCOUTING MISSOURI SOUTHERN

• The Lions are coming off a set of games in Joplin headed into the match in St. Joseph, featuring a 1-0 win over Drury last Friday night.
• Other than a 6-0 loss to No. 25 Minnesota State, the Lions' other three games have all been decided by one goal, including a 4-3 double-overtime loss to East Central last Sunday.
• Bailey Belcher leads the team with two goals on the season and is second behind Courtney Marten (11) with 10 shots.
• Head Coach Aaron Tilsen enters his first year at the helm for the Lions.

 
SCOUTING NORTHWEST

• As a team, Northwest averages 16.8 shots per game which is currently third-best in the MIAA.
• Northwest also has the third highest average for goals per game in the league with a rate of 2.4.
• All four of the Bearcats games have seen an average of five total goals scored. Northwest's 4-0 win over Sioux Falls was the only game where both teams didn't score at least two goals.
• Kaitlyn Case leads the team with four goals this season.
• Macy Heckadon has the second highest rate of assists per game in the MIAA with an average of .75 assists per game.