2024 NCAA-II Central Regional Championship Match
Match 24: No. 1 Central Missouri (17-4-2) vs. No. 2 Minnesota State (16-1-6)
Sunday, Dec. 1 | 1 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (South Recreation Complex)
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Scene Setter
- Top-seeded Central Missouri Jennies soccer (17-4-2) is scheduled to host the second-seeded Minnesota State Mavericks (16-1-6) in the 2024 NCAA-II Central Regional Championship Match Sunday, Dec. 1, at 1 p.m. at the South Recreation Complex in Warrensburg.
- The Jennies defeated eighth-seeded Ouachita Baptist, 2-0, Friday, Nov. 22, and fourth-seeded Central Oklahoma, 2-0, Sunday, Nov. 24, to earn a berth in the Central Regional Title Match.
- Central Missouri captured its seventh MIAA Tournament Championship after posting a 1-0 victory over Central Oklahoma Saturday, Nov. 16. in Wichita, Kan. UCM has won eight straight contests entering the NCAA-II tournament.
- Through 23 matches, the Jennies are paced by forwards Ashleigh Martin (10 G, 6 A, 26 Pts, 40 Sh, .250 Shot%, 23 SOG, .575 SOG%, 3 GW, 4-5 PK) and Izzy Joyce (8 G, 4 A, 20 Pts, 50 Sh, .160 Shot%, 22 SOG, .440 SOG%, 3 GW), and midfielders Caroline Cole (8 G, 7 A, 23 Pts, 45 Sh, .178 Shot%, 23 SOG, .511 SOG%, 4 GW), Lexie Ruf (6 G, 4 A, 16 Pts, 32 Sh, .188 Sh%, 15 SOG, .469 SOG%, 4 GW) and Andree Orcutt (5 G, 10 Pts, 23 Sh, .217 Sh%, 11 SOG, .478 SOG%).
- Through 23 matches, Martin is tied for the MIAA lead in goals (10) and leads the conference in points (26), and is tied for second in game-winning goals (3); Joyce is tied for second in game-winning goals (3), tied for sixth in goals (8) and is seventh in points (20); Cole is tied for first in game-winning goals (4), is second in assists (6), is tied for fourth in points (23), and tied for sixth in goals (8); Aspen Patterson is tied for third in assists (6), and Ruf is tied for the league lead with four game-winning goals.
- In goal through 23 matches, Central Missouri paced by Kristen Wright (17-4-2, 13 GA, 89 SV, 0.63 GAA, .873 Save%, 9 SHO).
- Wright is second in the MIAA in save percentage (.873) and third in goals-against average (GAA) at 0.63 and shutouts per game at .391.
- As a team, Central Missouri paces the conference in goals (58) and corner kicks (202).
Weekly Honors
Five Jennies Garner D2CCA All-Central Region Honors (full release)
- Five University of Central Missouri Jennies soccer student-athletes were voted to the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Central Region Teams, it was announced Tuesday, Nov. 26.
- Ashleigh Martin, Caroline Cole and Laney Reishus were First Team D2CCA All-Central Region honorees while Izzy Joyce and Andree Orcutt were tabbed Second Team D2CCA All-Central Region.
All-Tournament Team Honors
Getting it Done on the Pitch and in the Classroom (full release)
Seven Jennies Earn All-MIAA Honors (full release)
- University of Central Missouri Jennies soccer had seven student-athletes earn All-MIAA Women's Soccer honors for their performances on the soccer pitch during the 2024 MIAA conference regular season, it was announced Friday, Nov. 8.
- Laney Reishus, Ashleigh Martin, Izzy Joyce, Andree Orcutt and Caroline Cole all earned First Team All-MIAA accolades while Mackenzie Smith was a second team honoree and Kristen Wright garnered third team recognition.
- In addition to being selected to the first team, Joyce was also voted the 2024 MIAA Freshman of the Year. She is the first Jenny to win the honor since 2022.
UCM in the NCAA Tournament
- The Jennies are making their 17th overall and 14th straight appearance in the NCAA-II tournament. Sunday's appearance in the regional title match will be the first since 2021.
- Central Missouri is 24-12-3 overall in 17 tournament appearances.
- In regional championship matches, UCM is 7-1-1 all-time.
- The Jennies have won six regional championships and one national championship (2017) in program history.
Home Sweet Home
- Dating back to the 2016 season, the Jennies are 89-6-2 at the South Recreation Complex. During that span, UCM has surrendered just 65 goals.
- All-time at the South Recreation Complex, UCM is 164-16-9 under head coach Lewis Theobald and 228-37-10 in overall program history. The Jennies have compiled undefeated home records five times.
Series History
- Minnesota State: The Jennies and Mavericks will meet for the 21st time in the all-time series Sunday in Warrensburg. UCM leads the series, 12-6-2. Central Missouri and Minnesota State faced each other earlier this season on Sept. 13 in Warrensburg, with the Jennies posting a 1-0 win. UCM is 4-1-2 all-time against Minnesota State in the NCAA tournament. The two teams last met in the postseason last season in a first round match in Topeka, Kan., with UCM defeating MSU, 2-0.
Last Time Out for the Jennies: Jennies Advance to NCAA-II Central Regional Title Match with 2-0 Win Over Central Oklahoma
- Top-seeded Central Missouri Jennies soccer secured a spot in the NCAA-II Central Regional Championship match after posting a 2-0 shutout win over the fourth-seeded Central Oklahoma Bronchos Sunday, Nov. 24, at the South Recreation Complex.
- Central Missouri jumped out to a 1-0 lead 20 minutes into the match when Lexie Ruf slotted a pass from Caroline Cole into the back of the net for her sixth goal of the season. The assist was the seventh of 2024 for Cole.
- UCM doubled its advantage to 2-0 three minutes out of halftime in the 48th-minute when Kate Ricker headed a Gracie Knight corner kick home. It was Ricker's third goal and Knight's fifth assist of the season.
- For the match, the Bronchos (12-7-4) outshot the Jennies, 14-13, including an 8-7 edge in shots on goal. Central Missouri bested Central Oklahoma in corner kicks, however, 8-4.
- UCM goalkeeper Kristen Wright (17-4-2) earned the victory between the posts, allowing no goals while making eight saves in 90 minutes for her ninth shutout of the season.
- Broncho goalkeeper Avery Bass suffered the setback in goal, giving up two goals while making five saves in 90 minutes.
Head Coach Lewis Theobald
Lewis Theobald, now in his 17th 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 308-50-27 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 enters the 2024 season as the winningest active coach in Division II women's soccer with an .838 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 21 All-Americans in
Andree Orcutt, 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 142 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, Julia Kristensen and
Izzy Joyce; 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 Central Missouri wins Sunday, they'll advance to the NCAA-II National Quarterfinals which will be Saturday, Dec. 7.
