WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Sept 18, 2019) - The No. 8 Central Missouri Jennies face familiar teams week three, taking on Northwest Missouri State on Friday in Maryville and Missouri Southern State on Sunday at Jennies Field.
Opponent:
Northwest Missouri (1-2-1)
Missouri Southern (1-3)
When:
Friday, Sept. 20 - 3 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 22 - 1 p.m.
Where:
Friday -
Bearcat Pitch Field - Maryville, Mo.
Sunday -
Jennies Field - Warrensburg, Mo.
The Week Ahead:
• The Jennies split (1-1) last week against two top-25 teams. UCM fell 2-0 to No.25 Minnesota State before earning a 1-0 win in overtime against No. 18 Bemidji State. The Jennies only goal of the week was scored by senior
Kelsey Mueller in the first three minutes of overtime against the Beavers.
• The Jennies dropped in this week's United Soccer Coaches Top-25 Poll. Previously ranked No. 4, the UCM comes in at No. 8 this week.
• Both NWMU and MSSU were picked to finish at the bottom of the MIAA preseason poll. Although all three teams are MIAA members, the games this week will not be played as officially MIAA matches.
Series History:
Northwest Missouri: UCM leads 30-3-4
The Jennies have won the last 19 matches against the Bearcats. The last time Northwest defeated UCM was a 1-0 victory in 2008. The Jennies and the Bearcats met twice last season and UCM won both matches 4-1.
Missouri Southern: UCM leads 21-8-3
The Jennies have won 14 of the last 16 matchups against the Lions. Last season when these teams met it resulted in a 2-2 double overtime tie.
Scouting the Competition:
Northwest Missouri
• Last season the Bearcats finished 2-15 overall and 1-10 in the MIAA. They returned 20 players that started in at least one match last season.
• One of NWMU's key returners is senior Emily Madden who led the Bearcats in goals last season with three. Madden is the only returner to earn All-MIAA recognition in 2018. Other key returners for the Bearcats are juniors Taylor Wolfe, Madi McKeever, Madie Krueger and Alex Mausbach. A key newcomer for the Bearcats is Manuela Gonzalez, a junior college transfer. Gonzalez spent the last two seasons at Johnson County Community College where she earned first-team all-conference honors in 2017 and 2018.
• NWMU's one win in their 1-2-1 start to the 2019 season was a 4-0 victory over Sioux Falls. Krueger, Mausbach and newcomer Kaitlyn Case each scored the Bearcat's four goals with Case scoring twice. Case is currently fifth in the MIAA with five goals this season.
• The Bearcats have recorded 33 shots on goal, lead by Teagan Blackburn with five total. Case holds the team-high of five goals while Mary Heckadon leads the Bearcats with two assists. Case currently ranks as one of the top-five scorers in the MIAA.
• The Bearcats suffered a 2-3 loss to Augustana (S.D.) last week at home. The Jennies defeated the Vikings in their opening week 5-1.
• This is Marc Gordon's second season as head coach for the Bearcats. With nine years of head coaching experience, Gordon displays a career record of 115-53-15.
Missouri Southern
• Last season the Lions recorded the second-most wins in program history with an overall record of 19-3-1 and were 7-8-3 in the MIAA.
• The Lions return three seniors in goalkeeper Luz Galindo, defender Brianna Smith, and forward Jessica Edwards. They also bring back six juniors and four sophomores for 13 players total. One of the four sophomore returners is All-MIAA selection and last year's leader in points, forward Bailey Belcher. Belcher scored a team-high six goals and added an assist to end her freshman season.
• MSSU's one win in their 1-3 start to the 2019 season was a 1-0 victory over Drury. The Lions have recorded a total of 52 shots, half of which fell on goal. Belcher's two goals is enough to lead the Lions' offense but it's Courtney Marten with the team-high of 11 shots.
• The Lions played No. 25 Minnesota State their opening week and lost 6-0 to the Mavericks at Kansas City's Children's Mercy Victory Field.
• Joining them are nine new players is new Head Coach Aaron Tilsen and Assistant Coach Patrick Ritter. The coaches bring a combined 25-plus years of coaching experience at numerous levels.
Jennies Spotlight:
•
Makayla Toth claimed half of the Jennies 24 points opening week was the week one National and MIAA Play of the Week. The junior forward leads the MIAA with 12 points and five goals.
•
Haley Freeman has scored in two matches. Freeman as only taken three shots, each one falling on goal.
• Freshman
Macy Ruffalo and
Nayeli Gallo each scored their first collegiate goals opening week.
• Senior
Allysa Gann and junior
Skylar Drum hold down the Jennies defensive line. Gann and Drum have planned every minute of the Jen's first four matches.
