Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern women's soccer squad plays host to a pair of Kansas universities with Emporia State coming to town for a 6:00 pm match on Friday and then Washburn on Sunday at 1:00 pm; both inside Fred G. Hughes Stadium.
Freshman forward
Samantha White recorded her first goal of the season to put the Lions (2-11-1, 1-5-1 MIAA) in a 1-1 draw with Nebraska-Kearney to finish match one last Friday afternoon before falling to Fort Hays State, 3-0 to conclude the weekend. Senior
Brianna Smith leads the squad with seven points (2Gs & 3As) while sophomore
Bailey Belcher and freshman
Ashton Manwill follow tied for second with six points off of three goals each. Senior
Jessica Edwards, and freshman
Brianna Marquez both recorded two goals and one assist for five points apiece.
The Rundown
Friday: ESU – Fred G. Hughes Stadium – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday: WU – Fred G. Hughes Stadium - 1:00 p.m.
TV/Stream:
- ESU - https://themiaanetwork.com/mssulions/
- WU - https://themiaanetwork.com/mssulions/
Live Stats:
- ESU - https://mssulions.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
- WU - https://mssulions.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
What the Opponents are Bringing to the Battle!
Emporia State Hornets (9-3-2, 4-1-2 MIAA)
Series: MSSU leads, 16-6-6
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association … finished third in the MIAA last season (14-6-1, 8-3-0 MIAA) before falling to Central Missouri in the semifinals of the MIAA tournament and to Minnesota State – Mankato in the first round of the NCAA Central Region in overtime … picked fourth in the conference preseason poll … retained six All-MIAA selections from a season ago in sophomore goalkeeper Jillian Patton (2nd), defender Ashlyn Lakin (2nd), and midfielder Rachel Marshall (2nd), senior midfielder Tanna Benefiel (3rd) and forward Kennedy Hoffman (3
rd), and sophomore defender Sydney Martens (HM)… two others join them with ten or more starts during the 2018 season … Hornets are 3-1-1 in their last five with the lone loss coming to Northeastern State (4-1) and come off a tie with Newman (1-1) … hold a three-match winning streak over the Lions, including a 3-2 victory at Hal Boden back in 2017 and then a 2-1 victory at home last season … currently stand in the top-5 in all offensive categories (shots, points, goals, and assists) … Head coach Bryan Sailer enters his ninth year at the helm of the Hornets … led the team to a school record 14 wins toward the programs first NCAA Division II Tournament berth last season … previously coached at Barton Community College where he compiled a 59-23-2 record (.714) in four years there and won a KJCAA Championship (2008) after recording a 18-4 record.
Washburn (7-5-1, 3-3-1 MIAA)
Series: WU leads 11-8-6
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association … secured the eighth and final spot into the MIAA tournament (7-10-2, 3-6-2 MIAA) before falling to Central Oklahoma in the first round … picked ninth in the conference preseason poll … retained three All-MIAA selections from a season ago in senior forward Olivia Grasso (3rd), junior midfielder Tera Lynch (3rd), and sophomore forward Josie Rimmer (3rd) …four others join them with ten or more starts during the 2018 season … Ichabods are 2-2-1 in their last five, including a 1-0 victory at Rogers State and a 3-2 win over Central Oklahoma at home while scoring the first and last goal in that match … hold a four-match streak over the Lions with three of them being within one goal … head coach Davy Phillips enters his third season at the helm of the Ichabods … he was named the third coach in program history two seasons ago (2017) and one season later led the team to a 10-9-1 record and a berth in the second round of the MIAA tournament for the first time since 2013 … previously coached at Baker University for three seasons with a 44-14-6 record and a NAIA national semifinal appearance as well as NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2016.
Next Stretch
The Women's soccer team prepares for a Senior Day showdown with nationally-ranked Central Missouri next Friday at 6:00 pm before closing out the 2019 regular season against Northwest Missouri State on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 1:00 pm.
