KEARNEY, Neb. — Missouri Southern soccer played Nebraska Kearney to a 0-0 draw Friday evening at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field.
The Lions generated all eight of their shots after halftime, putting five on goal, while goalkeeper
Bella Smith made five saves to preserve the shutout.
Missouri Southern is now 1-4-2 overall in 2026 and 0-1-1 in MIAA conference play. Nebraska-Kearney is 2-4-3 overall and 0-2-1 in conference play.
Smith recorded five saves in 90 minutes and finished with the shutout, the 10th in her career at MSSU. She moves to third all-time in MSSU program history with 10 career shutouts.
Presley Whitmire led MSSU with four shots and put two on goal.
Talia Sanders added three shots, including two on frame.
Southern kept UNK off the board in the first half, with Smith saving shots from Iliana Wurzbacher in the opening minute and Serene Hamzeh at 22:29.
The Lions also created set-piece opportunities early, earning corner kicks at 2:20 and 8:26 before adding three more corners later in the half. The Lopers pushed through a stretch from 20:32 to 31:16 with two corners and two shots, but Smith stopped Hamzeh's attempt and Aspen Steen's shot missed high. Southern worked through three offside calls and a yellow card to
Sophie Spoonmore, and the half ended scoreless at 0-0.
The Lions' main second-half surge came early, with Whitmire and Sanders putting shots on frame and MSSU earning two corners between 48:39 and 49:16 during a five-shot stretch that left the match at 0-0. UNK answered with pressure from 61:21 to 68:03, but Smith made saves at 67:20 and 67:55 as Southern kept the match scoreless.
The Lions continued to look for a breakthrough after that, including a Whitmire shot at 70:43, a
Kortney Davis attempt saved at 75:41 and another Whitmire shot saved in the final seconds. Neither side scored in the second half, and the match finished tied at 0-0.
The Lions next head to Fort Hays State for a Sunday matinee. Kickoff is set for noon in Hays, Kansas.
