No. 2 Seed Jennies Set to Take on No. 3 Seed Gorillas in MIAA Tournament Semifinals Friday

Andrew Mather | University Photographer

Women's Soccer | 11/5/2026 9:51:00 AM

MIAA Women's Soccer Tournament Semifinals
Match 20: No. 2 Central Missouri (14-1-4) vs. No. 3 Pittsburg State (14-0-5)
Friday, Nov. 6 | Noon | Wichita, Kan. (Scheels Stryker Sports Complex)
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2026 Jennies Soccer Roster | 2 026 Pittsburg State Roster | 2026 MIAA Women's Soccer Tournament Central

Scene Setter

Second-seeded University of Central Missouri Jennies Soccer (14-1-4) is set to take on the No. 3-seeded and 11-ranked Pittsburg State Gorillas (14-0-5) in the 2026 MIAA Women's Soccer Tournament Semifinals on Friday, Nov. 6, at noon at the Scheels Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kan.
Central Missouri defeated No. 7-seeded Northwest Missouri State in the quarterfinals on Nov. 1 in Warrensburg, 2-0, to earn a spot in the semifinals.
Through 19 matches, the Jennies are paced offensively by sophomore midfielder Coryn Jespersen (4 G, 13 A, 21 Pts., 39 Shots, .103 shot percentage, 22 SOG, .564 SOG percentage, 3 game-winning goal) and senior forwards Mikayla Ernst (9 G, 18 Pts., 52 shots, .173 shot percentage, 28 SOG, .538 SOG percentage, 4 game-winning goals) and Hadley Lockhart (8 G, 2A, 18 Pts., 37 shots, .216 shot percentage, 20 SOG, .541 SOG percentage, 1 game-winning goal). Senior goalkeeper Kristen Wright (14-1-4, 5 GA, 0.28 goals-against average, 59 SV, .922 save percentage, 10 shutouts, 4 combined shutouts, 155 shots faced, 1,633:15 minutes) leads UCM between the posts.
Through 19 matches, the Jennies lead the MIAA in scoring with 44 goals and rank second in goals allowed, giving up just five goals on the season so far. Individually, Coryn Jespersen leads the MIAA and is fifth in NCAA Division II with 13 assists. She is fourth in the conference with 21 points and tied for fifth with three game-winning goals. Mikayla Ernst is tied for first with four game-winning goals and third with her nine goals, and Hadley Lockhart is seventh with her eight goals. Kristen Wright is second in goals-against average at 0.28, shutouts per game (.526), and saves (.922 save percentage).

All-MIAA Honors Abound for Jennies

Eight University of Central Missouri Jennies Soccer student-athletes garnered All-MIAA Women's Soccer honors for their performances on the soccer pitch during the 2026 regular season, it was announced by the conference on Friday, Oct. 30. Defenders Gracie Knight and Ryann Clark, midfielder Coryn Jespersen, and forward Mikayla Ernst were named First Team All-MIAA; goalkeeper Kristen Wright, midfielder Hazel Douglas-Trotman, and forward Hadley Lockhart received Second Team All-MIAA recognition; and midfielder Aspen Patterson earned Third Team All-MIAA accolades.

2026 MIAA Weekly Honors

MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week: Coryn Jespersen, Sept. 15, Sept. 29, Oct. 20; Mikayla Ernst, Oct. 6
MIAA Goalkeeper of the Week: Kristen Wright, Sept. 1, Oct. 20

Record Watch

Coryn Jespersen is already second in Jennies single-season history with her 13 assists this season. She is three assists shy of tying the program's single-season record of 16, set by Kassie Newsom in 2021.
Kristen Wright is third in career saves with 289 in 83 career contests.

UCM in the Rankings

Central Missouri remained No. 4 in the latest NCAA Division II Central Region NPI Rankings released on Monday, Nov. 2. The top eight teams in the final Central Region NPI rankings released on Monday, Nov. 9, during the NCAA-II Women's Soccer Tournament Selection Show on NCAA.com will advance to the 2026 NCAA-II Women's Soccer Central Regional Tournament.

Last Time Out: No. 2 Jennies Shut Out No. 7 Northwest Missouri in MIAA Quarterfinals, 2-0

No. 2-seeded and 20-ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies Soccer secured a spot in the MIAA Women's Soccer Tournament Semifinals with a 2-0 shutout win over the No. 7-seeded Northwest Missouri State Bearcats on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 1, at the South Recreation Complex.
Central Missouri got on the scoreboard early Sunday, taking a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute when Kylie Richardson hammered a pass from Hadley Lockhart into the back of the net for her fifth goal of the season.
Mikayla Ernst doubled the Jennies' advantage to 2-0 in the 55th minute, belting Lockhart's second assist of the match home for her team-best ninth goal of the season.
Central Missouri bested the Bearcats (5-10-3) in shots, 16-7, and corner kicks, 6-3, in the victory.
UCM goalkeeper Kristen Wright (14-1-4) earned her team-best 10th solo shutout of the season after giving up zero goals while compiling four saves in 90 minutes between the posts.

Home Sweet Home

Dating back to the 2016 season, the Jennies are 98-9-6 at the South Recreation Complex. During that span, UCM has surrendered just 74 goals.
All-time at the South Recreation Complex, UCM is 173-19-13 under head coach Lewis Theobald and 237-40-14 in overall program history. The Jennies have compiled undefeated home records five times.
The 2026 season will mark a new era for Jennies Soccer at the South Recreation Complex, as UCM will play on a new, state-of-the-art turf playing surface that was installed during the summer of 2026.

Series History vs. Pittsburg State

The Jennies and Gorillas will meet for the fourth time in the all-time series dating back to the first meeting in 2024. The series is currently tied, 1-1-1. UCM and Pittsburg State met back on Oct. 25 in Warrensburg, with the two teams playing to a 1-1 tie. Central Missouri and Pittsburg State have never faced each other in the MIAA Tournament.

Head Coach Lewis Theobald
Lewis Theobald, now in his 19th 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 333-58-35 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 2026 season as the winningest active coach in Division II women's soccer with an .822 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 23 All-Americans in Mikayla Ernst, 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 63 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 156 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 UCM wins on Friday, it'll advance to the MIAA Women's Soccer Tournament Championship Match on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m. in Wichita, Kan., and face the winner of the No. 1 Washburn vs. No. 5 Emporia State semifinal.

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