Women's Soccer | 8/25/2026 9:06:00 AM
Match 1: Central Missouri (0-0-0) at Missouri S&T (0-0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 27 | 6 p.m. | Rolla, Mo. (S&T Soccer Field)
Live Video (PPV) |
Live Stats
Match 2: Central Missouri at Drury (0-0-0)
Sunday, Aug. 30 | 5 p.m. | Springfield, Mo. (Lake County Soccer Field)
Live Video (PPV) |
Live Stats
2026 Jennies Soccer Roster |
2026 Missouri S&T Roster |
2026 Drury Roster
Scene Setter
- University of Central Missouri Jennies Soccer is set to begin its 2026 season with a pair of road matches against Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) foes on Thursday, Aug. 27, and Sunday, Aug. 30. The Jennies are slated to face the Missouri S&T Miners in their season opener on Thursday in Rolla, Mo., at the S&T Soccer Field at 6 p.m. before facing the Drury Panthers on Sunday at 5 p.m. in Springfield, Mo., at the Lake County Soccer Field.
- UCM was picked third in the 2026 MIAA Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- Central Missouri welcomes back 10 starters from 2025's team that posted an overall record of 11-6-4 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Central Regional. Returning starters include 2026 United Soccer Coaches All-American and First Team All-MIAA Forward Mikayla Ernst (12 G, 6 A, 30 pts, 84 shots, 37 SOG, .440 SOG%, 5 GWG), All-Region and All-MIAA honorees defender Makenzie Smith (21 GP, 1 G, 2 Pts, 1,785 minutes) and midfielder Aspen Patterson (2 G, 5 A, 9 Pts, 14 shots, 6 SOG, .429 SOG%), and All-MIAA honorees midfielder Kate Ricker, defender Hazel Douglas-Trotman, and goalkeeper Kristen Wright.
- Ernst led the MIAA in points (30) and tied for the conference lead in goals (12), and was third in game-winning goals (5), and fifth in assists (6) last season. Wright paced the conference in goals-against average (0.64), was second in saves (.862 save pct.), and third in shutouts per game (.429).
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.
- 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
- Missouri S&T: Thursday's match at Missouri S&T will mark the 15th meeting in the all-time series dating back to 1995. This will be the first meeting since 2004. The series is tied, 6-6-2. Last time the two teams met in 2004 in Warrensburg, UCM and Missouri S&T (then Missouri-Rolla), played to a scoreless draw in double overtime.
- Drury: Sunday's match at Drury will be the fifth meeting in the all-time series but the first meeting since 2000. The Panthers lead the series, 1-3-0. Last time the Jennies and Panthers met, UCM posted a 2-1 victory in Springfield, Mo.
New Faces for 2026
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 319-57-31 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 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 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
The Jennies are scheduled to travel to Mankato, Minn., for a pair of matches at preseason No. 15-ranked Minnesota State on Sept. 4, and a neutral site tussle with Southwest Minnesota State on Sunday, Sept. 6.
