ALLENDALE, Mich. – No. 11-ranked and top-seeded University of Central Missouri Jennies soccer captured its sixth Central Region Championship with a 4-1 victory over third-seeded and sixth-ranked Bemidji State Friday, Dec. 3, at GVSU Soccer Field.
The Jennies (20-3-1) advance to the national quarterfinals with the win and will face either top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Grand Valley State or sixth-seeded Saginaw Valley Sunday, Dec. 5, at noon CT in Allendale.
Sydney Leslie,
Isa Yanes,
Ashleigh Martin, and
Kassie Newsom netted the Jennies' four goals in the win, while Martin and Newsom also each dished out assists.
Goalkeeper
Sydney Daris went the full 90 minutes between the posts, making two saves to improve to 7-1-0 in-goal this season.
The Jennies jumped on the Beavers (19-2-3) early, scoring just over three minutes into the match after Leslie blasted a pass from Martin into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead. It was Leslie's 16th goal and Martin's fourth assist of 2021.
UCM doubled its advantage 32 minutes later when Yanes scored her fourth goal of the season off Newsom's program-record 16th assist, making it 2-0, Jennies.
Bemidji State's Maria Stocke pulled the Beavers within one goal, trimming the lead to 2-1 with a goal in the 55th-minute.
Central Missouri had an almost immediate answer, however, as Martin scored her eighth goal of the season just over five minutes later, building the UCM lead to 3-1.
Newsom netted the fourth goal for the Jennies, scoring on a penalty-kick in the 86th-minute. It was her team-high 18th goal of 2021.
Stocke scored the Beavers' lone goal of the match and had three shots, while Allyson Smith tallied five shots to lead BSU offensively.
Bemidji State goalkeeper Alyssa Stumbaugh took the loss between the pipes after allowing four goals and making one save in 90 minutes.
The Beavers outshot the Jennies for the match, 17-12, but UCM had the edge in shots on goal, placing five on target compared to only three for Bemidji State.
