2023 MIAA Women's Soccer Championship First Round
Match 19: No. 2 Central Missouri (13-3-2) vs. No. 7 Central Oklahoma (6-6-6)
Friday, Nov. 3 | 4 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (South Recreation Complex)
Live Video (PPV) |
Live Stats
2023 Jennies Soccer Roster |
2023 Central Oklahoma Roster |
MIAA Women's Soccer Championship Page |
United Soccer Coaches Poll
Scene Setter
- No. 17-ranked Central Missouri Jennies soccer (13-3-2) is the number two seed in the 2023 MIAA Women's Soccer Championship and is scheduled to host seventh seeded Central Oklahoma (6-6-6) in a first round match Friday, Nov. 3, at 4 p.m. at the South Recreation Complex in Warrensburg.
- Central Missouri is ranked No. 17 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II Poll and finished second in the MIAA during the regular season with a conference mark of 8-1-2.
- The Jennies are coming off a 1-0-1 week which saw them tie Missouri Western Oct. 27, 1-1, before shutting out Missouri Southern, 5-0, Oct. 29.
- Through 18 matches, UCM is paced offensively by junior forward Ashleigh Martin (5 G, 6 A, 16 pts., 26 shots, 10 SOG, .385 SOG%, 2 GW), redshirt junior midfielder/forward Caroline Cole (6 G, 3 A, 15 pts., 43 shots, 20 SOG, .465 SOG%, 3 GW, 1-1 PK) freshman forward Mikayla Ernst (5 G, 2 A, 12 pts., 38 shots,17 SOG, .447 SOG%, 3 GW), freshman midfielder Ryann Clark (4 G, 3 A, 11 pts., 35 shots, 23 SOG, .657 SOG%) and junior midfielder Lexie Ruf (5 G, 1 A, 11 pts., 18 shots, 13 SOG, .722 SOG%, 2 GW).
- With 18 matches in the books, Central Missouri's leading goalkeeper is freshman Kristen Wright (12-2-2, 1383:23, 5 GA, 0.33 GAA, 41 SV, .891 SV%, 8 SHO, 104 SF). Wright leads the MIAA in goals-against average (0.33) and save percentage (.891). She ranks fifth in NCAA Division in goals-against average (0.33) and seventh in save percentage (.891).
- As a team, the Jennies are averaging 2.06 goals per game while limiting opponents to a MIAA-low 0.33 goals per game. UCM has outshot its adversaries through 18 matches, 297-113, and is averaging 16.5 shots per game while holding opponents to 6.3 shots per game. In addition, Central Missouri has controlled set pieces through 18 matches, taking 130 corner kicks compared to just 37 for opponents.
Tickets for the MIAA Women's Soccer Championship
- Tickets prices for Friday's match are as follows: $5 for adults; children six (6) & under are free
- No regular season MIAA VIP passes will be honored.
- UCM students receive FREE admission to the match with a valid student ID, courtesy of University of Central Missouri President, Dr. Roger Best.
- Tickets can be purchased online at UCMAthletics.com/tickets or at the Jennies Field box office on the east side of the field on the day of the match.
Jennies Number Four in Latest NCAA-II Central Regional Rankings
- No. 17 Central Missouri Jennies soccer is ranked fourth in the most recent NCAA-II Central Regional Rankings released Wednesday, Nov. 1.
- The top eight teams in the final regional rankings released on Monday, Nov. 13, will qualify for the NCAA Division II women's soccer tournament.
Nine Jennies Earn All-MIAA Honors
- UCM Jennies soccer team nine student-athletes garner All-MIAA honors for their performances on the soccer pitch during the 2023 MIAA conference season, the conference office announced Wednesday, Nov. 1.
- Defender Emma Burden and midfielders Caroline Cole and Andree Orcutt received First Team All-MIAA accolades, goalkeeper Kristen Wright, defender Gracie Knight and forward Ashleigh Martin were named Second Team All-MIAA, midfielders Ryann Clark and Lexie Ruf earned Third Team All-MIAA recognition, and midfielder Aspen Patterson received Honorable Mention All-MIAA honors.
Weekly Honors
Last Time Out for the Jennies
- No. 15-ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies soccer concluded its 2023 regular season schedule with a 5-0, shutout win over the Missouri Southern Lions on a cold and rainy Sunday afternoon, Oct. 29, at the South Recreation Complex.
- Five different Central Missouri players netted goals in the victory – Ashleigh Martin (38th-minute, fifth goal of season), Lexie Ruf (49th-minute, fifth goal of season), Kloee Grubb (51st-minute, first goal of season), Isa Yanes (60th-minute, second goal of season) and Sydney Leslie (87th-minute, first goal of season).
- Martin also dished out two assists while Mikayla Ernst, Andree Orcutt and Jordan Austin each had one assist in the triumph.
- For the match, UCM outshot Missouri Southern, 22-6, including a 15-4 advantage in shots on goal. The Jennies also bested the Lions corner kicks, 9-4.
- Goalkeeper Kristen Wright (12-2-2) earned the victory for Central Missouri in goal after going 71 minutes and allowing zero goals while making three saves.
Home Sweet Home
- Dating back to the 2016 season, the Jennies are 78-4-2 at the South Recreation Complex. During that span, UCM has surrendered just 58 goals.
- All-time at the South Recreation Complex, UCM is 153-14-9 under head coach Lewis Theobald and 217-35-10 in overall program history. The Jennies have compiled undefeated home records five times.
New Faces in the 'Burg
Series History
- Central Oklahoma: The Jennies and Central Oklahoma Bronchos will meet for the 26th time in the all-time series Friday in Warrensburg. UCM leads the series, 14-7-4. The Jennies and Bronchos played to a 0-0 draw earlier this season in Edmond, Okla., on Sept. 29. UCM and Central Oklahoma last met in the MIAA tournament in 2021 when the Jennies defeated the Bronchos, 3-2, in the semfinals. All-time in MIAA tournament competition, UCM and UCO are tied, 3-3-0.
Head Coach Lewis Theobald
Lewis Theobald, now in his 16th year, has transformed the Jennies Soccer program into one of the premier programs not only in the MIAA, but in all of NCAA Division II.
The 11-time MIAA and five-time region Coach of the Year has an impressive 288-44-25 record. He recorded more wins in his first three seasons than any other coach in school history and is the all-time winningest coach in both Jennies soccer and MIAA women's soccer history. He brought home the program's first ever National Championship in the 2017 season.
Theobald entered the 2023 season as the winningest active coach in Division II women's soccer with an .845 winning percentage, among coaches with at least five years on the sidelines. He also is the all-time D-II leader among coaches with at least 10 years and is fifth all-time in all NCAA Divisions.
During his tenure, Theobald has coached 20 All-Americans in
Lindsay Edmonds,
Julia Kristensen, Kassie Newsom,
Caroline Cole, Ana Dilkes, Emily Eldridge, Baylie Edwards, Randi Fernsler, Allysa Gann, Kayla Hamner, Julie Ireland, Becky Lackey, Cindy Lackey, Abby Rhodes, Alyssa Rhodes, Jada Scott, Carly Stanley, Jenna Stones, Makayla Toth and Megan Woolley and has led 55 players to All-Region status. He also coached Dilkes, a goalkeeper, to a National Player of the Year honor during the 2017 season.
He has coached 135 All-Conference players, including Most Valuable Players Melanie Hall, Kayla Shain and two-time Player of the Year Alyssa Rhodes; Offensive Players of the Years Carly Stanley, Julie Ireland, Jada Scott, Kassie Newsom and
Julia Kristensen; Freshmen of the Year Alyssa Rhodes, Stanley, Hannah Pyle, Alexis Robbers, Nicki Wisnasky,
Caroline Cole and
Julia Kristensen; Defenders of the Year, Emily Eldridge, Allysa Gann, Cindy Lackey and Abby Rhodes; two-time Goalkeeper of the Year Lindsey Johnson and four-time Goalkeeper of the Year Ana Dilkes.
A 1999 graduate of the University of Kansas, Theobald received his bachelor's degree in education with a concentration in physical education.
On the Horizon
- If the Jennies win Friday, they'll advance to the MIAA Women's Soccer Championship semifinals and will play the winner of the Fort Hays State vs. Northeastern State first round match Thursday, Nov. 9, at noon at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kan.
