Women's Soccer | 9/7/2023 9:36:00 AM

Match 3: No. 20 Central Missouri (1-1-0) at No. 8 Minnesota State (1-0-1)
Friday, Sept. 8 | 4 p.m. | Mankato, Minn. (Maverick Soccer Complex - The Pitch)
Live Video | Live Stats

Match 4: No. 20 Central Missouri vs. UMary (1-0-1)
Sunday, Sept. 10 | 11 a.m. | Mankato, Minn. (Maverick Soccer Complex - The Pitch)
Live Video | Live Stats

2023 Jennies Soccer Roster | 2023 Minnesota State Roster | 2023 UMary Roster | MIAA Women's Soccer

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Scene Setter

• No. 20-ranked Central Missouri Jennies soccer (1-1-0) is scheduled to travel to Mankato, Minn., for a pair of non-conference matches Friday, Sept. 8, and Sunday, Sept. 10. The Jennies are slated to face to No. 8-ranked Minnesota State Mavericks (1-0-1) Friday at 4 p.m. before taking on the UMary Marauders (1-0-1) in a neutral site match at 11 a.m. Sunday. 
• Central Missouri is ranked No. 20 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II Poll and is the favorite in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• The Jennies are coming off a 1-1-0 opening week of the season after falling at Augustana (S.D.), 1-0, Sept. 1 before shutting out Southwest Minnesota State Sept. 3, 3-0. 
• Through two matches, UCM is paced offensively by freshman forward Mikayla Ernst (2 G, 4 pts., 13 shots, 7 SOG, .538 SOG%, 1 GW) and junior forward Ashleigh Martin (1 G, 2 pts., 3 shots, 1 SOG, .333 SOG%, 1-1 PK). 
• Central Missouri's leading goalkeeper after two contests is junior Sydney Beck (1-1-0, 1 SHO, 1 GA, 2 SV, .050 GAA, .667 SV%, 180:00). 

Preseason Picks

• Jennies soccer was voted preseason No. 1 in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll for the 2023 season.
• UCM received 119 points and nine of 12 possible first-place votes in the poll.

Last Time Out for the Jennies

• Mikayla Ernst scored two goals and Ashleigh Martin added a goal as the No. 13-ranked Central Missouri Jennies soccer team posted a 3-0, shutout win at Southwest Minnesota State Sunday morning, Sept. 3, at Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center.
• Ernst, a freshman from Raymore, Mo., scored what proved to be the game-winning goal just three minutes into the match off of a Caroline Cole assist before Martin doubled UCM's lead to 2-0 after converting a penalty-kick in the 12th-minute.
• Ernst netted her second goal of the match just before the final whistle when she controlled a pass from fellow freshman Ryann Clark and slotted it into the back of the net in the 86th-minute, upping Central Missouri's advantage to 3-0.
• For the match, the Jennies posted a commanding 20-2 advantage in shots taken, including a 10-2 edge in shots on goal.
• UCM goalkeeper Sydney Beck (1-1-0) earned the victory between the posts after going the full 90 minutes and not allowing a goal while making two saves.

Home Sweet Home

• Dating back to the 2016 season, the Jennies are 72-4-1 at the South Recreation Complex. During that span, UCM has surrendered just 56 goals.
• All-time at the South Recreation Complex, UCM is 147-14-8 under head coach Lewis Theobald and 211-35-9 in overall program history. The Jennies have compiled undefeated home records five times.

New Faces in the 64093

• The Jennies welcome 10 newcomers to their 2023 squad, including nine high school freshmen and one transfer.
• Incoming high school student-athletes include Emilee Person (D), Aspen Patterson (MF), Ryann Clark (MF), Mikayla Ernst (F), Hadley Lockhart (F), Kristen Wright (GK), Sophia Campbell (MF) and Hayleigh Martin (GK) while goalkeeper Maddie Meehan is the lone incoming transfer. 

Series History

• Minnesota State: UCM and Minnesota State will meet for the 18th time in the all-time series Friday afternoon in Mankato, Minn. The Jennies lead the series, 10-5-2. Central Missouri and Minnesota State last met during the 2021 season, facing each other twice. UCM won both contests, defeating the Mavericks in Warrensburg in a regular season match, 4-3, before claiming a 4-3 triumph over Minnesota State in the NCAA-II Central Regional. 
• UMary: The Jennies and UMary Marauders will face each other for the sixth time in the all-time series Sunday in Mankato. UCM is 4-0-1 in the series. The Jennies and UMary last met during the 2015 season, with UCM posting a 7-0 shutout win in Warrensburg. 

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 276-42-23 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 126 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
UCM travels to Joplin, Mo., for a non-conference showdown against MIAA foe Missouri Southern Friday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m. before hosting MIAA rival Northwest Missouri in a non-MIAA match at the South Recreation Complex Sunday, Sept. 17, at 1 p.m.