No. 4 Jennies Soccer Hosts No. 15 Minnesota State Friday, No. 2 Grand Valley State Sunday

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Women's Soccer | 9/11/2024 8:58:00 AM

Scene Setter

No. 4-ranked Central Missouri Jennies soccer (2-0) has two big early season home matches this week at the South Recreation Complex, welcoming the No. 15-ranked Minnesota State Mavericks (1-0-1) Friday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m. and No. 2-ranked Grand Valley State (2-0) Sunday, Sept. 15, at 1 p.m.
The Jennies are coming off a 2-0 start to their season, defeating Augustana (S.D.), 4-2, Sept. 6 at home before taking down Illinois-Springfield, 4-0, in Springfield, Ill., Sept. 8.
Central Missouri is ranked No. 4 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II Poll released Tuesday, Sept. 10, while Minnesota State is ranked 15th and Grand Valley State is ranked second.
Through two matches, the Jennies are pace by midfielder/forward Caroline Cole (3 G, 1 A, 7 Pts, 6 Sh, .500 Shot%, 5 SOG, .833 SOG%, 1 GW), forwards Mikayla Ernst (2 G, 4 Pts, 5 Sh, .400 Shot%, 2 SOG, .400 SOG%) and Ashleigh Martin (1 G, 2 Pts, 1-1 PK), midfielder Lexie Ruf (1 G, 2 Pts, 5 Sh, .200 Sh%, 3 SOG, .600 SOG%, 1 GW) and defender Emilee Person (1 G, 2 Pts).
Cole is tied for the MIAA lead in goals with three and leads the conference in points with seven in her first two matches.

Weekly Honors

Caroline Cole was voted the MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week for Sept. 10 for her performance on the soccer pitch during the week of Sept. 2-8.
Cole netted three goals, including one game-winning goal, and dished out an assist in UCM's opening two wins of the 2024 season Sept. 6 vs. Augustana (S.D.) and Sept. 8 at Illinois-Springfield.
In UCM's 4-2 victory over Augustana, Cole scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 14th-minute before converting her second goal of the contest in the 48th-minute.
At Illinois-Springfield, she scored her third goal of the week in the 23rd-minute prior to tallying an assist on Mikayla Ernst's 43rd-minute goal.

Preseason Picks

Jennies soccer was voted No. 2 in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll for the 2024 season.
UCM received 131 points and three first-place votes in the poll.

Home Sweet Home

Dating back to the 2016 season, the Jennies are 80-4-2 at the South Recreation Complex. During that span, UCM has surrendered just 61 goals.
All-time at the South Recreation Complex, UCM is 155-14-9 under head coach Lewis Theobald and 219-35-10 in overall program history. The Jennies have compiled undefeated home records five times.

New Faces in the 'Burg

The Jennies welcome six newcomers to their 2024 squad, including five high school freshmen and one transfer.
Incoming high school student-athletes include Ava Lunders (MF), Izzy Joyce (F), Patsy O'Brien (F), Kate Ricker (MF) and Mackenzie Smith (D) while forward Laney Reishus (Kansas State) is the lone transfer entering 2024.

Series History

Minnesota State: The Jennies and Mavericks will meet for the 20th time in the all-time series Friday evening in Warrensburg. UCM leads the series, 11-6-2. Central Missouri and Minnesota State met twice last season, with the Mavericks posting a 1-0 win in Mankato, Minnesota, on a goal in the final seconds of the match and the Jennies defeating Minnesota State in Topeka, Kan., in the first round of the NCAA-II Central Regional, 2-0.
Grand Valley State: UCM and Grand Valley State will meet for the ninth time in the all-time series Sunday afternoon at the South Recreation Complex. Grand Valley State leads the series, 5-1-2. The Jennies and Lakers last met during the 2022 season in Allendale, Mich, with Central Missouri playing then No. 1-ranked Grand Valley State to a 2-2 draw.

Last Time Out for the Jennies: No. 21 Jennies Soccer Shuts Out Illinois-Springfield Sunday, 4-0

No. 21-ranked Central Missouri Jennies soccer posted a 4-0, shutout victory over the Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars Sunday afternoon, Sept. 8, at Kiwanis Stadium.
UCM wasted no time in taking an early lead as Lexie Ruf netted her first goal of the season just four minutes into the match off an assist from Izzy Joyce for the 1-0 advantage.
The Jennies doubled their lead to 2-0 in the 23rd-minute after Caroline Cole netted her team-high third goal of the season.
Mikayla Ernst capped off the UCM scoring in the match, netting her first goal of 2024 in the 39th-minute before finding the back of the net again just four minutes later in the 43rd-minute off an assist from Cole for 4-0 lead.
The Jennies kept the Prairie Stars (0-1-1) off the scoreboard in the second half, securing the 4-0 triumph.
For the match, UCM outshot UIS, 12-8, including a 6-3 edge in shots on goal, and bested Illinois-Springfield in corner kicks, 9-2.

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, enters the 2024 season with an impressive 293-46-25 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 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 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
The Jennies host Minnesota State in a home match Friday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m. before welcoming No. 7-ranked Grand Valley State to Warrensburg Sunday, Sept. 15, for a 1 p.m. matinee contest.

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