Women's Soccer | 11/20/2025 9:32:00 AM
2025 NCAA-II Women's Soccer Central Regional First Round
Match 20: No. 7 Central Missouri (10-5-4) vs. No. 2 Bemidji State (14-2-4)
Friday, Nov. 21 | 1 p.m. | Bemidji, Minn. (Chet Anderson Stadium)
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Scene Setter
- Seventh-seeded University of Central Missouri Jennies Soccer (10-5-4) is set to face the second-seeded Bemidji State Beavers (14-2-4) in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Division II Central Regional Tournament on Friday afternoon, Nov. 21, at 1 p.m. at Chet Anderson Stadium on the Bemidji State University campus in Bemidji, Minn.
- The Jennies are making their 18th overall and 15th consecutive appearance in the NCAA-II Women's Soccer Tournament.
- UCM is coming off a 2-1 setback to Central Oklahoma in the MIAA Women's Soccer Tournament Quarterfinals on Nov. 9.
- Through 19 matches, the Jennies are paced by forwards Mikayla Ernst (12 G, 5 A, 29 Pts, 73 Sh, 33 SOG, .452 SOG%, 5 GWG, 2-3 PK), Patsy O'Brien (4 G, 4 A, 12 Pts, 25 Sh, 13 SOG, .520 SOG%, 1 GWG) and Izzy Joyce (3 G, 5 A, 11 Pts, 24 Sh, 16 SOG, .667 SOG%), and midfielder Coryn Jespersen (4 G, 4 A, 12 Pts, 19 Sh, 10 SOG, .526 SOG%, 1 GWG).
- Ernst leads the MIAA in goals scored (12) and points (29).
- In goal for UCM, goalkeeper Kristen Wright is 10-5-4 with a team-best eight shutouts. She has allowed just 11 goals while making 66 saves for a 0.60 goals-against average (GAA) in 1644:35 minutes.
- As a team, UCM is averaging 2.05 goals per game and 12.9 shots per game while holding its opponents to 0.58 goals per game and 9.3 shots per game. The Jennies have a 0.555 shots-on-goal percentage and are holding their adversaries to a 0.455 shots-on-goal percentage. Central Missouri has taken 125 corner kicks through 19 matches.
- The Jennies are tied for the lead in the MIAA in goals scored with 39 and goals allowed, giving up just 11 goals in 19 contests.
All-Tournament Team Honors
- Midfielder Aspen Patterson was named to the 2025 MIAA Women's Soccer All-Tournament Team for her performance in UCM's MIAA Tournament match vs. Central Oklahoma on Nov. 9.
Six Jennies Garner 2025 All-MIAA Accolades (full release)
- Six University of Central Missouri Jennies Soccer student-athletes were named to the 2025 All-MIAA Women's Soccer Teams for their performances on the soccer pitch during the 2025 regular season, as announced by the conference office on Friday, Nov. 7. Junior forward Mikayla Ernst and sophomore defender Mackenzie Smith earned First Team All-MIAA honors, junior midfielder Aspen Patterson garnered Second Team All-MIAA accolades, sophomore midfielder Kate Ricker was recognized as Third Team All-MIAA, and junior goalkeeper Kristen Wright and freshman defender Hazel Douglas-Trotman earned Honorable Mention All-MIAA honors.
Ernst Joins the UCM Record Book
- Mikayla Ernst became just the third player in program history to score a Central Missouri single-match record four goals in UCM's 7-2 win over Harding Sept. 21. Ernst joins former Jennies Jada Scott (vs. Missouri Western in 2016) and Sarah Bourn (vs. Southwest Baptist in 1995) at the top of the single-match goals scored record list with her four goals.
UCM in the NCAA Tournament
- The Jennies are making their 18th overall and 15th straight appearance in the NCAA-II tournament beginning Friday in Bemidji.
- Central Missouri is 24-13-3 overall in 17 tournament appearances.
- In opening round contests, UCM is 12-5-0.
- 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 94-9-3 at the South Recreation Complex. During that span, UCM has surrendered just 72 goals.
- All-time at the South Recreation Complex, UCM is 169-19-10 under head coach Lewis Theobald and 233-40-11 in overall program history. The Jennies have compiled undefeated home records five times.
Series History vs. Bemidji State
- Central Missouri and Bemidji State will meet for the fourth time in the all-time series in Friday's opening round contest. UCM is 3-0 in the series. The two teams last met in the 2021 NCAA-II Central Regional Championship Match in Allendale, Mich., with the Jennies posting a 4-1 victory over the Beavers.
Weekly Honors
- 2025 Jennies Soccer MIAA Weekly Honors: Offensive Athlete of the Week: Mikayla Ernst (Sept. 16, Sept. 23); Goalkeeper of the Week: Kristen Wright (Sept. 16); Defensive Athlete of the Week: Mackenzie Smith (Oct. 14)
New Faces for 2025
Head Coach Lewis Theobald
Lewis Theobald, now in his 18th year, has transformed the Jennies Soccer program into one of the premier programs not only in the MIAA but also in NCAA Division II.
The 11-time MIAA and five-time region Coach of the Year has an impressive 318-56-31 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 2025 season as the winningest active coach in Division II women's soccer with an .833 winning percentage, among coaches with at least five years on the sidelines. He is also 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 22 All-Americans in
Ashleigh Martin,
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 60 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 148 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 on Friday, it'll advance to the NCAA-II tournament second round and face either third-seeded St. Cloud State or sixth-seeded Pittsburg State on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m. in Bemidji.
