Three Lions on All-SSC Men’s Soccer Team

Three members of the Missouri Southern State University men’s soccer team were picked for the inaugural All-Southwest Soccer Conference team in voting by the league’s coaches.

Sophomore Travis Haight (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and freshman Blake Wright (Conway, Ark.) were picked for second-team accolades. Junior J.P. West (Broken Arrow, Okla.) was an honorable mention selection.

Haight, a 6-foot and 180-pound goalkeeper, played all of the team’s nearly 1800 minutes in goal this season and his 160 saves (8.42 per game) led the SSC. He also ranked third in NCAA Division II (through games of Oct. 24) in saves per game. Haight posted two shutouts in 2004 and a 2.31 goals-against average.

Wright, a 6-foot-2 and 145-pound defender, was the only true freshman to start all 19 MSSU games this season. His efforts in the back helped the Lions limit opponents to a .097 shot percentage. Only eight freshmen from around the league were honored on the all-conference team.

Midfielder West, 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, led the Lions with three goals and tied for the team lead with 31 shots and 13 on goal. One of his three scores on the year was the game-winner in the 52nd minute of a 2-1 victory at Harding. (Ark.).

The three MSSU selections are the first all-conference selections for the Lions since 1998, the final year of men’s soccer in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. Southern was an NCAA Division II independent from 1999-2003, but joined as the northern-most member of the SSC at the conclusion of the 2003 season. The SSC includes teams from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Missouri. Many of the institutions are part of the Lone Star Conference; others are part of the Heartland Conference.

Missouri Southern finished its season in the newly-formed conference with a 2-14-3 overall record, including 1-11-2 in the SSC, a league that features two teams currently ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top 25 and three in the top five of the Midwest Regional poll.


	NOV. 8, 2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Three Lions on All-SSC Men’s Soccer Team Three members of the Missouri Southern State University men’s soccer team were picked for the inaugural All-Southwest Soccer Conference team in voting by the league’s coaches. Sophomore Travis Haight (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and freshman Blake Wright (Conway, Ark.) were picked for second-team accolades. Junior J.P. West (Broken Arrow, Okla.) was an honorable mention selection. Haight, a 6-foot and 180-pound goalkeeper, played all of the team’s nearly 1800 minutes in goal this season and his 160 saves (8.42 per game) led the SSC. He also ranked third in NCAA Division II (through games of Oct. 24) in saves per game. Haight posted two shutouts in 2004 and a 2.31 goals-against average. Wright, a 6-foot-2 and 145-pound defender, was the only true freshman to start all 19 MSSU games this season. His efforts in the back helped the Lions limit opponents to a .097 shot percentage. Only eight freshmen from around the league were honored on the all-conference team. Midfielder West, 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, led the Lions with three goals and tied for the team lead with 31 shots and 13 on goal. One of his three scores on the year was the game-winner in the 52nd minute of a 2-1 victory at Harding. (Ark.). The three MSSU selections are the first all-conference selections for the Lions since 1998, the final year of men’s soccer in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. Southern was an NCAA Division II independent from 1999-2003, but joined as the northern-most member of the SSC at the conclusion of the 2003 season. The SSC includes teams from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Missouri. Many of the institutions are part of the Lone Star Conference; others are part of the Heartland Conference. Missouri Southern finished its season in the newly-formed conference with a 2-14-3 overall record, including 1-11-2 in the SSC, a league that features two teams currently ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top 25 and three in the top five of the Midwest Regional poll.