WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Sept. 4, 2019) - No. 7 Central Missouri Jennies Soccer open the 2019 season Thursday, Sept. 5 at home against the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs. Admission the the match will be free of charge.
Opponents (2018 Record):
SWOSU (13-5-1)
Augustana (12-6-3)
When:
Thursday, Sept. 5 - 3 p.m. CT
Sunday, Sept. 8 - 1 p.m. CT
Where:
Thursday - Jennies Field - Warrensburg, Mo.
Sunday - Morstad Field - Sioux Falls, SD
The Week Ahead:
• Sept. 5, as they host the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m at Jennies Field at the South Recreation Complex. UCM will then travel to Sioux Falls, SD to take on the Vikings of Augustana University on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 1 p.m.
• The Jennies enter the 2019 season ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll (formerly National Soccer Coaches Association of America). UCM welcomed 10 newcomers into the 2019 season. "We are excited to welcome another excellent class to our program", said coach Theobald. "This is a group of dedicated student-athletes who will impact our program immediately. We look forward to welcoming them and their families to UCM."
• In 2018, the Jennies won their fifth straight NCAA Central Region Championship to cap a 19-5-1 campaign in which they also went 8-2-1 in the MIAA and finished the year ranked eighth by the United Soccer Coaches.
Series History:
SW Oklahoma: UCM leads 7-0-0
The Jennies will open up their 2019 campaign against the Bulldogs for the fourth straight year. UCM downed SWOSU last season at the Bulldogs home field in Weatherford, Okla. The Jennies won 3-2 with all three goals coming in the second half.
Augustana: UCM leads 7-0-0
UCM is undefeated also against Augustana. The Jennies and the Vikings met twice in the 2018 season, both matches ending in UCM victories 3-2 and 3-1.
Scouting the Competition:
Southwestern Oklahoma State
• SWOSU was voted second in the GAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, which matches the Bulldogs finish from last season. SWOSU went 10-2 in conference play and finished with an overall record of 13-5-1 following an overtime loss to Oklahoma Baptist in the conference tournament championship match.
• SWOSU returns two D2CCA All-Americans: Alimata Robo and Sandra Nabweteme. Robo lead the Bulldogs last season with 24 goals, which placed her fourth in Division II . The junior forward also registered 11 assists totaling 59 points on the year. Nabweteme put 21 goals past opposing keepers last season and ranked second in Division II racking up a team high 15 assists on the year. Nabaweteme is the Bulldogs only All-Conference returner, earning First Team All-GAC for the second year in a row last season.
• Head Coach Mark Persson, now in his 11th season at SWOSU, brings a youthful team into the 2019 season with a roster featuring 21 underclassmen out of 28 total players.
Augustana
• The Vikings finished the their 2018 season with a record of 12-6-3 with a loss to UCM in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Vikings return 24 players from last year's roster that went 12-6-3 en route to an NCAA tournament appearance for the second consecutive year.
• Augustana's Alexis Legg returns after a breakout freshman campaign where she was named NSIC Freshman of the Year and made the NSIC All-Conference Third-Team. While she finished seventh in the conference in total points, she led the Vikings in points (23), goals (11), and game winning goals (3).
• Head Coach Brandon Barkus enters his 19th season with the Vikings.
Key Returners:
• Entering her junior season is forward
Makayla Toth. She was second for the Jennies last year scoring 16 goals which was fourth in the MIAA. She also was third in the league and led UCM with 10 assists.
• The Jennies bring back two All-MIAA defenders in
Allysa Gann and
Skylar Drum. Gann earned an All-Region award last year while Drum scored three goals.
• Goaltender
Lindsey Johnson started 15 games last year allowing 1.59 goals per game and making 78 stops. She now has a year under her belt after being thrust into action as a freshman.
• The midfield will have plenty of depth returning.
Haley Freeman started all 25 games last year and freshman
Maria Wilder stepped in to start 16. They'll also welcome back
Frankie Ross who started 12 games as a freshman in 2017 but missed 2018 due to injury.
Career Milestones to Watch:
•
Makayla Toth is currently ranked 10th in program history with 27 career goals. Toth lead the Jennies in 2018 with 10 assists.
Opening Weekend:
• The Jennies are 15-8-1 in season openers, and have not lost a season opener since 2009 when they fell to Abilene Christian 1-0.
• Central Missouri has out-scored opponents 51-30 in season openers.
• Under Head Coach
Lewis Theobald, the Jennies are 9-2-1 in season opening games.
• In 24 games last season, UCM outscored opponents 69-34 with a 425-358 shot advantage.
Bringing Home the Hardware:
• In 2018, the Jennies won their fifth straight NCAA Central Region Championship to cap a 19-5-1 campaign in which they also went 8-2-1 in the MIAA and finished the year ranked eighth by the United Soccer Coaches.
•
Jada Scott was named to a 2018 Second Team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches.
•
Jada Scott and
Courtney Killian were named to the 2018 All-Central Region Team.
Survive and Advance:
• In the NCAA Tournament, UCM is 16-8-3 all-time. Under
Lewis Theobald, the Jennies are 16-7-3.
• The Jennies are 9-1-1 in the national tournament when playing at home. With the win over GVSU, the Jennies are 1-2-1 all-time in the National Quarterfinals.
• With the win over Central Oklahoma last season, UCM is 5-1-1 all-time in Region Finals and has won its last seven matches.
