DRAGON ATHLETICS
Dragon TALES
DRAGON TALES
By Larry Scott, MSU Moorhead Sports Information Director
Fresh from a rousing road victory at Bemidji State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead returns to Alex Nemzek Field for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference weekend soccer homestand that could seriously define the role the Dragons will play in the NSIC championship chase.
MSU Moorhead meets Northern State University at 1 p.m. on Saturday and hosts University of Mary in a 1 p.m. Sunday matinee. MSUM will enter 7-7 overall and 2-1 in the NSIC following a dramatic 2-1 triumph at BSU on Sunday. Laura Kohtala’s goal with just 16 seconds remaining in regulation play brought the Dragons even at 1-1, and Jena Reed scored the game winner in overtime off an assist from Tricia Vanyo.
With seven victories the Dragons have matched their highest single season collection since 2000.
Following this weekend’s homestand the Dragons face road dates at Upper Iowa and Winona State before returning home to entertain Wayne State and Southwest Minnesota State.
MSUM MEMOS. . . . . MSUM inside linebacker JONATHAN MILLER is tied for sixth on the latest NCAA Division II national statistics for solo tackles and ranks 12th for total tackles, 11.3. Quarterback DUSTIN LONG is 14th in yards gained passing, 263.2, and 15th in total offense, 286.5, while wide receiver JABARI TAYLOR is seventh in receptions per game, 7.2, and 19th for receiving yards, 92.5. Taylor shared the latest NSIC Offensive Player of the Week award. . . . . Senior defensive tackle MATT OACHS suffered a broken hand in the 31-28 victory over Upper Iowa and is sidelined indefinitely. Sophomore defensive tackle MARK RICHARDS is shelved as well with a knee injury. . . . . KELCI GUENTHER ranks first on the latest NSIC volleyball chart in blocks, 1.59, MEGAN NORLING is third in kills, 3.90, and JULIE VANCURA is third in assists, 12.61. Vancura also became the Dragon career leader for assists last week with 4,751, and was named NSIC Setter of the Week for a second straight week as well. Oftedahl matched the single game mark of 43 digs at Northern State while Norling tied the single match attacks record of 77 shared by Dragon Hall of Famers AMY GERNAND and EMILY HEGG. . . . . National talk show host ED SCHULTZ, a national passing champ at MSU Moorhead as a senior in 1977, was on hand last Saturday to watch Dustin Long eclipse his former single game records with 33 completions in 52 attempts for 361 yards in the 42-41 loss to Winona State. . . . . MSU Moorhead finished sixth in a field of eight teams at the fall portion of the 2007-08 NSIC women’s golf championships last weekend at Pebble Creek golf club near Becker. The tournament concludes with 36 holes next spring. Upper Iowa University is in first place with 625 strokes while MSUM shot a combined 740. CHELSEY OUREN is tied for 10th on the individual leaderboard with a 80-86—166 while KASEY MAIER was second on the Dragon chart with an 90-97—18. . . . . The Hamburg Blue Devils, coached by ex-Dragon football and wrestling letterman JOE ROMAN, fell to the Stuttgart Scorpions in the German Championship playoffs and finished 7-5 this fall. . . . . Basketball and wrestling practice begins officially at Minnesota State Moorhead on Monday, October 15. . . . . MSUM men and women swept team titles at the Jimmie Invitational at Hillcrest golf course in Jamestown, ND on Friday. MSU Moorhead placed six runners in the top 10 and claimed the women's crown with 26 points, followed by Concordia College (64) and Jamestown College (98) in a six-team field. ANNA VanWECHEL finished first with a time of 18:53.90 while DANIELLE THOMPSON was fourth at 19:32.99. MSUM men shaded Dickinson State 27-30 to win the team championship in a field of five while Concordia College finished third with 87 points. SCOTT EGEBERG (26:13.65), ADAM KNE (26:19.71) and KEITH ECKHOFF (26:34.52) provided Dragon men with a 1-2-3 finish.. . . . . Alex Nemzek Hall will host the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon project for a second time on October 27-28. The program, to enhance the reintegration of returning reserve and guard veterans from Iraq, is directed by Captain AARON KRENZ, a former starting linebacker for the Dragons. . . . . The Dragons have unveiled a new athletic website designed by TOM CHALLEY. . . . . BRETT BEESON, the NCAA Division II Player of the Year and a national scoring champ at MSUM in 1995-96, will continue his professional basketball career overseas again this winter. Beeson will play for Archena, Spain. Last season at Sabadell, Beeson led the league in scoring with 19.2 ppg. . . . . The next Dragon Fire luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, October 24, at the Courtyard by Marriott in Moorhead. . . . . Dragon football games are broadcast over ESPN Radio 1660 AM. STEVE d’EUSTACHIO returns for his 10th season as play-by-play announcer while Mike Larson will provide commentary. All Dragon games are also available on the World Wide Web at www.msumdragons.com. . . . .
