Pioneers look to keep momentum going as they approach post-season play
Platteville, Wis.- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville fall athletic teams are rolling strong into the postseason. Women’s volleyball and women’s soccer have clinched spots in the WIAC Championships with both teams having the opportunity to host first round contest. Men’s and women’s cross country will head to the conference meet this weekend, while men’s soccer will have one final tune up before they head to the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
Platteville, Wis.- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville fall athletic teams are rolling strong into the postseason. Women's volleyball and women's soccer have clinched spots in the WIAC Championships with both teams having the opportunity to host first round contest. Men's and women's cross country will head to the conference meet this weekend, while men's soccer will have one final tune up before they head to the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
Football wins Miner Axe for first time since 2004, ranked #22 in nation
The Pioneer football team has played four top 25 teams in 2022. The Pioneers are 3-1 in those contests, after knocking off No. 3 ranked UW-Whitewater 17-13 on Oct. 22 to bring home the Miner's Axe. The Pioneer defense once again caused issues for a high-power offense, holding UW-Whitewater to their lowest scoring output since week one.
The Warhawks got on the board first after the Pioneers' lone turnover of the day led to a short field. The Pioneers would tie the score following the first of four Pioneer interceptions. Sam Smith picked off a screen pass deep in Warhawk territory, setting the Pioneers up at the Warhawk 16-yard line. The Pioneers cashed in on a Braeden Katcher touchdown pass to Ben Wilson. The Warhawks were driving to re-take the lead on their next possession before Wilson got his hands on another Warhawk pass at the one-yard line for his second interception of the day.
With the Warhawks leading 10-7 late in the first half, the Pioneer defense delivered the play of the game when Colton Ingram stepped in front of an Evan Lewandowski pass and returned it 46 yards to give the Pioneers a 14-10 lead at the break. The Pioneers picked off Lewandowski six times in 2019 when Lewandowski was the starting quarterback for UW-La Crosse.
The Warhawks would get a field goal late in the third quarter to cut the lead to one. The final Pioneer interception of the day helped set up a 44-yard field goal from Andrew Schweigert to push the lead back to four. The Warhawks and Pioneers exchanged punts for most of the fourth quarter before the Pioneers turned the Warhawks over on downs late in the quarter.
Katcher took three knees to run the clock out as the Pioneers celebrated the first victory over UW-Whitewater since 2004. Head Coach Ryan Munz was a sophomore quarterback for the Pioneers in 2004.
UW-Whitewater Recap and Photos
The No. 22 ranked Pioneers (4-3, 3-1 WIAC) will travel to UW-Stout (4-3, 2-2 WIAC) on Saturday, Oct. 29 for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Blue Devils are the third highest scoring team in the WIAC, averaging 36.7 points per contest. They are allowing 21.1 points a contest.
Sean Borgerding leads the Blue Devils' offense. He has completed 59.2% of his passes for 1,574 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has thrown seven interceptions in 2022. Arthur Cox is Borgerding's main target. Cox leads UW-Stout with 33 receptions. Levy Hamer leads the Blue Devils with 468 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Chase Hughes leads the Blue Devils with 50 rushing attempts, while Carter Fonger has racked up 248 yards on 15 carries and leads UW-Stout with five rushing touchdowns.
Cannon Griner is fourth in the WIAC in tackles with 55. Six Blue Devils have recorded two sacks, while Carter Johnson leads UW-Stout with two interceptions.
The Blue Devils average 461.1 yards per game, while allowing 348.7 yards a contest.
Clayt Birmingham is in his 12th season at UW-Stout with a career record of 49-67.
The Pioneers are the second ranked defense in the WIAC, allowing only 271.6 yards per game. They average 256.3 yards a contest on offense.
Justin Blazek and Tyler Bacon anchor the defense from their defensive line position. Blazek leads the WIAC in sacks with six, while Bacon is third with five sacks. Blazek and Bacon are the top two in tackles for loss in the WIAC. Blazek has recorded 10, while Bacon has recorded 8.5 tackles for loss. Smith is third in the WIAC in total tackles, averaging 8.4 tackles a contest.
The Pioneers have used three quarterbacks in 2022. They have combined to complete 56.0% of their passes for 1,015 yards and seven touchdowns. Braeden Katcher leads the quarterbacks with five touchdown passes.
Will Lawrence leads the Pioneers with 74 rushes for 265 yards. Katcher has rushed for two touchdowns to lead the Pioneers.
Austin Guy leads the team with 23 receptions, while Wilson leads the team with 213 receiving yards. Two of the three receptions by John Goomey have been for touchdowns to lead the Pioneers in receiving touchdowns.
Schweigert is a perfect 12-for-12 on point after attempts. He is three-of-six on field goal attempts with a long of 49 yards. Schweigert averages 37.7 yards a punt with a long of 52 and 10 downed inside the 20-yard line.
Ryan Munz is in his first year as head coach of the Pioneer football team.
Women's cross country wins Warhawk Open, men finish second. Prepare for WIAC Championships
The Pioneer men and women's cross country team competed at UW-Whitewater on Oct. 21. The women won the Warhawk Open behind a one, two and three finish from first year runners Addison Morris, Avery Brown and Caitlin Gorge. Morris finished the 6K course in a personal best 25:48.9. Brown finished in 26:19, while Gorge finished in 26:47.6. The top five Pioneer runners finished in the top 10.
The men's team finished second behind a fifth-place finish from Thaddeus Shetler and a sixth-place finish from Caleb Christiansen. Shetler finished the 8K course in 28:21.2, while Christiansen finished in 28:22.5.
The men's and women's team will begin post season competition on Saturday, Oct. 29 when they travel to the WIAC Cross Country Championships (presented by Culver's). UW-La Crosse will host the meet at Maple Grove Venue in West Salem, Wisconsin. The women's race will begin at noon with the men's race to follow at 1 p.m.
Men's soccer begins new streak, travel to UW-Whitewater for final regular season game
The Pioneer men's soccer team saw their 12-game unbeaten streaked snapped versus Saint Olaf College on Oct. 17. The Pioneers bounced back with five goals in 5-0 win over Cornell College on Oct. 19. The Pioneers and Rams played to a 0-0 draw in the first 45 minutes before the pressure of the Pioneer offense finally broke through in the 57th minute. Danny Gutzwiller was the lone Pioneer with two goals, his fifth and sixth of the year. The Pioneer defense smothered the Rams, allowing only one shot in the contest. Chase Werner picked up his first shutout of the year and second win of the season.
The Pioneers closed out the 2022 home schedule with a 4-3 victory over Elmhurst College on senior day on Oct. 23. The Pioneers and Bluejays played to a 2-2 draw in the first half. Keith Gardner tied the score at two all with his first goal of the night. Gardner scored again in the 83rd minute to give the Pioneers a two-goal lead. The Bluejays would answer in the 85th minute to draw within one goal.
The Pioneers (12-3-2) will travel to UW-Whitewater (11-5-1) on Friday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. to close out the regular season. The Warhawks will travel to UW-Eau Claire before welcoming the Pioneers to Robert Fiskum Field.
The Warhawks have scored 47 goals, while allowing only 26. Faizan Mohiuddin leads UW-Whitewater with seven goals. Jalen Holley has six assists to lead the Warhawks.
The Pioneers have scored 44 goals while allowing only 21. Jack Gentilli leads the Pioneers with seven goals and nine assists. Sebastian Carranza and Danny Gutzwiller have six goals and three assists apiece.
Sam Koenig is in his fourth year as head coach of the Pioneer men's soccer team with a career record of 33-16-7.
Pioneers pick up two more shutouts, finish regular season with a pair of conference matchups
Emma Ball recorded her sixth shutout of the year to break the UW-Platteville women's soccer program's single season shutout record. Ball has played 1,322 of the 1,350 minutes for the Pioneers in 2022. She is allowing 0.82 goals per contest. Ball picked up her sixth shutout on Oct. 18 in a 2-0 victory over Beloit College. Lauren Lodico scored her fourth goal of the year in the 29th minute to open scoring. Lydia Smith tallied her fifth goal in the 65th minute.
Beloit Recap
The Pioneers dropped a 1-0 WIAC matchup to UW-Stevens Point on Oct. 22. The Pointers scored in the 73rd minute to snap the tie.
UW-Stevens Point Recap
The Pioneers finished the week off with a 5-0 shutout over Finlandia on Oct. 23. Lodico scored a pair of goals in the first half as the Pioneers cruised to victory. Ball and Onalee Erickson recorded the schools seventh shutout of the year.
The Pioneers (12-4-1, 3-2 WIAC) will finish out the regular season home schedule on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. when league leading UW-La Crosse (15-1-1, 5-0 WIAC) visits Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.
The Eagles lead the WIAC in goals scored and goals allowed. They have found the back of the net 54 times, while allowing only 11 goals. Ainsley Allan is tied for the league lead with 11 goals.
The Pioneers will finish the regular season at UW-Eau Claire (11-5-1, 4-2 WIAC) on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 4 p.m. The Blugolds have scored 33 goals while allowing 13.
Sydney Spencer and Elise Pinewski are tied for the team lead with eight goals apiece.
The Pioneers currently sit fourth in the WIAC standings and can clinch a home match in the opening round of the WIAC Women's Soccer Tournament (presented by Culver's) with one victory this week or a UW-Stevens Point loss to UW-Stout.
The Pioneers have scored 37 goals, while allowing only 14. Lodico leads the team with six goals, while Lydia Smith leads the WIAC and Pioneers with 11 assists. Smith and Spencer-Strong each have five goals, while Katherine Ohlwein, Alyssa Peterson and Anna Spindle have four goals apiece.
Sam Koenig is in his second season as head coach with a career record of 21-10-4.
Volleyball clinches WIAC tournament spot, finish regular season at UW-River Falls
The Pioneer women's volleyball program punched their ticket to the WIAC Volleyball Tournament (presented by Culver's) with an impressive straight set victory over UW-Stevens Point. The Pioneers and Pointers were evenly matched in sets one and three with the Pioneers pulling away late in the sets. Set two was all Pioneers. Playing a near perfect set, the Pioneers hit .542 on 24 total attacks to run away with a 25-10 win. The Pioneers hit .252 for the match and held UW-Stevens Point to a mere .029 hitting percentage. WIAC Newcomer of the Year candidate Kierney McDonald led the Pioneers with 12 kills and four blocks.
UW-Stevens Point Recap and Photos
The Pioneers finished the week at the Washington University Invite. The Pioneers would drop the first match on Oct. 21 to Cornell three sets to one. Cornell is tied atop the Midwest Conference standings with a 6-0 record. Emma Carlson recorded 21 kills, while McDonald recorded four blocks.
Cornell Recap
The Pioneers bounced back with a victory on Oct. 22 against Grinnell College, the other team tied atop the Midwest Conference standings with a 6-0 record. The Pioneers took the first two sets before dropping the third set. The Pioneers cruised in set four to a 25-11 victory. Once again Carlson led the Pioneers with 12 blocks.
The Pioneers finished the invite with a 3-2 victory over Earlham College. The Pioneers raced out to an early one set lead before Earlham College took sets two and three. The Pioneers battled back to take set four before finishing off the victory in set five. Carlson led the Pioneers for a fourth straight match with 19 kills.
Grinnell and Earlham Recap
The Pioneers (21-7, 3-3 WIAC) will finish the regular season at home on Tuesday, Oct. 25 when Loras College (8-17, 2-6 ARC) visits William Fieldhouse. With no seniors on the roster, the Pioneers will host UW-Platteville's faculty, staff, and the parents for an appreciation night.
The Pioneers will finish the regular season at UW-River Falls (20-11, 1-5 WIAC) on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. A victory over UW-River Falls or a UW-Stevens Point loss at UW-La Crosse will clinch a home match in the opening round of the WIAC Volleyball Tournament (presented by Culver's).
The Pioneers are holding opponents to a .124 hitting percentage, best in the WIAC. McDonald is third in the WIAC in hitting percentage (.334). In WIAC play only, McDonald is hitting a league best .407. Carlson averages 3.70 kills a set, third in the WIAC. In conference play, she is averaging 4.22, good for second in the league.
Kelsey Ewert leads the Pioneers, and second in the WIAC with 41 service aces (0.50 aces per set).
Samantha Birkicht is in her sixth year at UW-Platteville, with a career record of 74-74.
To follow the Pioneers all season, visit www.Letsgopioneers.com for links for live stats, postgame recaps and links for the contests that are live streamed. Follow the official social media accounts of Pioneer Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.