WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Seventeenth-ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies soccer clinched the 12th MIAA regular season championship in program history with a 2-0, shutout win over Missouri Western on Senior Day Sunday, Oct. 31, at the South Recreation Complex.
The Jennies finish the 2021 regular season with an overall record of 15-2-1 and an MIAA mark of 9-1-1.
Top-seeded Central Missouri will host a first round match in the MIAA Women's Soccer Championship Sunday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m. in Warrensburg against eighth-seeded Fort Hays State (8-7-3).
Caroline Cole scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 53rd-minute while
Sydney Leslie converted a penalty-kick for UCM's second goal of the contest in the 57th-minute.
In her second start of 2021, Central Missouri goalkeeper
Sydney Daris kept the Griffons (9-7-2, 6-5-0 MIAA) off the scoreboard the full 90 minutes and made three saves to secure the Jennies eighth shutout of the season.
After both teams battled to a 0-0 stalemate in the first-half, Central Missouri broke through eight minutes into the second frame after
Lindsay Edmonds belted a free kick that was headed by
Kassie Newsom to Cole who hammered the ball into the back of the net, putting UCM up, 1-0. It was Cole's sixth goal of the season and Newsom's team and MIAA-best 13th assist.
Just four minutes later, the Griffons committed a foul in the box, giving the Jennies a penalty-kick. Leslie stepped to the spot and calmly placed her shot into the right side of the goal, doubling the home side's advantage, 2-0. It was her 11th goal of 2021.
Central Missouri clamped down on defense the remainder of the contest, sealing the victory.
For the match, the Jennies outshot the Griffons, 21-12, including a 6-3 advantage in shots on goal. UCM also had the edge in corner kicks, 6-1.
Anna Mayer (9-7-2) made four saves in the match but took the loss in-goal for MWSU.
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