[ athletics ]
MNU
www.mnusports.com
New website spotlights Pioneer athletics
W
ith the 2009-10 athletic season in full bloom, so is the
Pioneers’ new web site — mnusports.com.
“The new site is something that I wanted to do when I first
arrived on campus,” says Athletic Director Kevin Steele.
The new site is user friendly and features everything from
quick links to all MNU sports, the Heart of America Athletic
Conference and the NAIA, as well as connections to follow the
Football action at the MNU vs. William Jewell game.
Pioneers on Twitter and Facebook.
Launched at the end of August, it also features MNUTube,
a YouTube channel containing interviews with players and
Orton said. “That makes a huge difference.”
coaches, free text updates to cell phones, photo galleries and
athlete blogs.
With a mid-season surge, the Pioneers are trying to make a
second-straight trip to the playoffs.
A hallmark of the new site is its webcasting ability, a feature
that already is a hot commodity, according to Steele.
Pioneers hitting their stride on football field
The crown jewel, though, is the ability to watch
different sports via live video A quick look at the MNU’s football team’s results would
streaming at mnusports.com. let you know that the Pioneers have one of the most prolific
“That was one of our prime
offenses in the country. But dig a little deeper and you’ll see
issues,” Steele says. “e W
why the Pioneers are ranking among the top 20 in the NAIA at
wanted to get that up and
the midseason mark.
running for our fans.” It has to do with the Pioneers’ defense.
The Pioneers have had all “eW have really come together as a team over the past
home football games live and couple of weeks,” said coach Jonathan Quinn. “eW have some
will have home basketball live new players and some new schemes. Sometimes, it takes a
on the web site for both men while to gel as a team.”
and women. Steele says the
The Pioneers averaged 46 points a game in their first six
plan is to incorporate other
games and defensively have been playing well, allowing 13 or
sports throughout www.mnusports.com
fewer points in three of those games. Overall, they are
the year.
allowing 24 points a game, but that includes the 55 points they
surrendered in a week-four loss to Lindenwood, a loss Quinn
Women’s soccer making huge strides
believes helped the team develop.
“You never want to lose,” he says. “But the loss definitely
Midway through the 2009 season, the women’s soccer team
humbled us. We were able to refocus and come back strong.”
is enjoying a rarity. After a start that saw the Pioneers win just
once in the first five games, the team went on a run of winning
The Pioneers answered the loss with a pair of wins,
five of six games — all by shutout.
outscoring their opponents 108-37.
Among the victories were those against Lindenwood and
“We have to go out each week and perform up to our poten-
Baker, two teams they’ve never beaten.
tial,” Quinn said. “One more loss and we may not make the
playoffs. We have to play with that type of urgency.”
“eW had a tough schedule to start, but have really come on
lately,” coach Rocky Orton says. “I couldn’t be more pleased
Men’s soccer knee-deep in rebuilding
with the way we have been playing.”
The Pioneers are led by junior midfielder Rebecca McAn-
On the heels of a handful of back-to-back, double-digit wins
drew, who is among the conference leaders in goals scored.
in 2007 and 2008, the MNU men’s soccer team found them-
Along with McAndrew, the Pioneers have welcomed nine
selves in unfamiliar territory when the 2009 season began.
new players to the fold and they are hitting on all cylinders.
Gone were eight starters from a team that went 14-5 and 8-1
“eW have a super-talented group, but it just took awhile for
in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, and coach Kevin
us to get things going,” Orton said.
Wardlaw faced what he hoped was just a year of reloading,
not rebuilding.
Unlike years past, the depth of the 2009 Pioneer team has
been the key to their success.
continued, next page
“eW ’re playing 19 to 20 players in almost every game,”
16 | Accent magazine | Fall 2009
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