EAU CLAIRE - The defending Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) regular season and tournament champion UW-Eau Claire women's soccer team will have an opportunity to repeat both feats as they host the WIAC Women's Soccer Final Four today and tomorrow here at the Bollinger Fields.

The Blugolds, the top seed and regular season champion, will host fourth seed UW-River Falls at 11:00 AM. In the second game second-seeded UW-Oshkosh will face off against third-seed UW-Stevens Point at 2:00 PM. The winner of both matches will meet Saturday in a 1:00 PM match for an automatic bid to the NCAA post-season tournament.

The Blugolds enter the weekend as the top-ranked defense in the WIAC in goals allowed (0.38/game) and shutouts with 14. No other team in league play has more than nine shutouts and their goals allowed average is half a goal less than the next-closest team in UW-Stevens Point at 0.88 goals per game. Goalies Allie Rivard (So.-Plymouth, MN/Wayzata) and Liz Weirick (Jr.-Kenosha/Tremper) have helped the Blugolds tie a school record with 14 shutouts thus far this season. Rivard leads the league with a 0.09 goals against average. The defense led by defender Becky Westbrock (Sr.-Oakdale, MN/North St. Paul) have been stellar in limiting shots taken on Blugold goalies as they average 2.67 saves a match, lowest among all WIAC teams

Offensively the Blugolds rank second in points (7.62/game), goals (2.52/game) and assists per game (2.94). Forward/midfielder Maria Iaizzo (Sr.-White Bear Lake, MN) ranks in the top five statistically in points, goals and assists including a league-best seven game-winning goals.

UW-River Falls comes to the Final Four fourth in assists per game (1.89) and goals allowed (1.22/game) while ranking fifth or sixth in every other major statistical category. Ashley Peterson (Sr.-Lino Lake, MN/Forest Lake) ranks second in assists per game (0.50), third in points per game (2.39), goals per game (0.94) while tying for third with five game-winning goals. Goalie Emily Stieler (Fr.-Ham Lake, MN/Andover) leads all WIAC goalies with seven shutouts.

Second-seeded UW-Oshkosh rank first in corner kicks (5.89/game), second in goals per game (2.72) and third in goals allowed (1.00/game) and goals against average (0.98). Midfielder Maggie Hoffman (Jr.-Waukesha/South) leads the team with 23 points and nine goals. Midfielder Michelle John (Sr.-Whitefish Bay) leads the team with seven assists to go along with 15 points. Goalie Kerri Wettstein (Fr.-Kimberly) is second in the WIAC in goals against average (0.40), saves percentage (0.857) and third in shutouts with four.

Third-seed UW-Stevens Point brings the league's most prolific offense to the Final Four. The Pointers lead the WIAC in points (10.35/game), goals (3.71/game) and assists per game (2.94/game). The 1-2 scoring punch of forward Kaylee Weise (So.-Brookfield/East) and Amanda Prawat (So.-Oregon) both rank either first or second among WIAC leaders in points per game, goals and goals per game. Weise leads the league in points per game (3.12) and assists per game (0.76) while Prawat is first in goals per game (1.20).

Not to be overlooked is the Pointer defense which ranks second in goals allowed (0.88/game), goals against average (0.86), and shutouts with nine. Goalie Meredith DeCaluwe (Sr.-Naperville, IL/Central) ranks second in shutouts (6) and fourth in goals against average (1.02)

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