For the third time since joining the MIAA in 2012, the Lindenwood women's soccer team will be competing in the conference tournament. This season, the Lady Lions earned the fifth seed and will travel to Tahlequah, Okla. Wednesday to battle the fourth-seeded Northeastern State RiverHawks for first-round play. In 2014, Lindenwood also earned the fifth seed, while the Lady Lions were seeded sixth in 2013. The Lady Lions ended the regular season with a 9-7-1 overall record, and a 6-5-0 mark in the MIAA. A win would mark the first in post-season play for the program since Lindenwood joined the NCAA.

Lindenwood traveled to NSU back on October 7, and would eventually lose the 2-1 contest. The RiverHawks gained the early advantage as Shelby Brewster put the ball in the back of the net in the 33rd minute. Just after halftime, Anastasia Robinson increased the lead to 2-0 to put the Lady Lions in a hole with 43 minutes of play. Alyssa Houck scored her fourth goal of the season in the 70th minute to cut the lead in half, but that would be the final score of the match.

Match Notes
- Lindenwood out-shot the RiverHawks, 7-5, in the first half, but the home team controlled the second half with a 9-5 edge in the category.

- Defenseman Autumn Olendorff led the Lady Lions with two shots on goal. Five others tallied one.

- Goalkeeper Mary McGilvray made eight saves in the losing effort, including a shot from NSU's Julia Mathis with four minutes remaining from inside the box to keep the score at 2-1.

- The 2-1 loss began a three-match losing streak for Lindenwood, which includes a 4-1 loss at Central Oklahoma and a 1-0 defeat at Washburn.

  Lindenwood Notes
- The Lady Lions ended the season winning four of their final five matches, out-scoring opponents 11-4 during that stretch.

- Twelve of Lindenwood's contests in 2016 were decided by one goal or less, including a three 1-0 losses to Central Missouri, Fort Hays State, and Missouri Western. The Lady Lions were 6-5 in one goal matches.

- The final three wins for Lindenwood included 3-0 against Southwest Baptist, 4-1 over Missouri Southern, and 3-1 versus Northwest Missouri.

- Kat Roe led Lindenwood with eight goals and 21 points. The senior totaled two multi-goal contests, including a hat trick in the 3-2 win at Missouri Western. Among MIAA leaders, the midfielder ranks second in shots per game (3.63), third in points per game (1.31), tied for fourth in goals, and tied for fifth in assists (5).

- Becky Roberts scored 19 points this season, tallying seven goals and five assists. The junior is tied for third with four game-winning goals in the MIAA, and also tied for the sixth-most goals scored.

- Lindenwood held the tie-breaker over Emporia State and Missouri Western to earn the five seed, as the two were awarded the sixth and seventh seeds, respectively.

Northeastern State Notes
- The RiverHawks began the season 12-0-0 before ending the year 1-4-1, finishing fourth in the MIAA.

- The lone win for NSU in during the six-match stretch came in the regular season's final contest, a 3-1 victory against Southwest Baptist.

- Northeastern State played consecutive matches in double overtime, one ending in a 1-0 loss to Fort Hays State and the other a 1-1 tie at Nebraska-Kearney.

- Julia Mathis ranks among the best in all offensive categories in the MIAA. The junior midfielder is second in shots (61), third in shots per game (3.39), second in points per game (1.61), second in goals (12), and second in game-winning goals (5).

- Anastasia Robinson leads the RiverHawks with six assists in 2016, and is first in the MIAA in helpers per game (.400).

- Northeastern State went 4-4-0 against teams that made the MIAA tournament.  

Looking Ahead
- The winner of the match will face the winner of Central Missouri and Washburn. The Jennies defeated the Ichabods, 3-0, back on October 16.

- After the first round of the conference tournament is completed on campus sites, the semi-finals and championship match will be hosted by the highest remaining seed. The final standings among conference tournament qualifiers of the 2016 MIAA season:

1. Central Missouri 10-1
2. Fort Hays State 10-1
3. Central Oklahoma 8-3
4. Northeastern State 6-4-1
5. Lindenwood 6-5
6. Emporia State 6-5
7. Missouri Western 6-5
8. Washburn 5-6

- Lindenwood holds the all-time edge over Northeastern State, winning three of the five matches the teams have played.

The first-round match is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday from DeLoache Field on the campus of Northeastern State.