Match 7: No. 24 Central Missouri (5-1, 0-0 MIAA) vs. Newman (0-4-2, 0-0 MIAA)
Sunday, Sept. 20 | 1 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (South Recreation Complex)
Radio: 1450 KOKO AM, 92.1 FM (Greg Hassler, play-by-play)
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Scene Setter
- After playing its first six matches of the season on the road, the No. 24-ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies Soccer team (5-1, 0-0 MIAA) is finally slated to play at the South Recreation Complex in Warrensburg, hosting the Newman Jets (0-4-2, 0-0 MIAA) for its 2026 MIAA and home opener on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 20, at 1 p.m.
- Sunday's contest will mark the first official match on Jennies Soccer's brand new, state-of-the-art artificial turf playing surface installed at the South Recreation Complex in the summer of 2026.
- UCM is coming off a pair of 4-0 shutout wins at Harding on Friday, Sept. 11, in Searcy, Ark., and at Ouachita Baptist on Sunday, Sept. 13, in Arkadelphia, Ark.
- Through six matches, the Jennies are paced offensively by senior midfielder Ryann Clark (3 G, 1 A, 7 Pts., 5 Shots, .600 shot percentage, 4 SOG, .800 SOG percentage, 2 game-winning goal), sophomore midfielder Coryn Jespersen (1 G, 4 A, 6 Pts., 12 Shots, .083 shot percentage, 6 SOG, .500 SOG percentage, 1 game-winning goal), sophomore forward Maryn Clement (1 G, 3 A, 5 Pts., 7 Shots, .143 shot percentage, 3 SOG, .429 SOG percentage), and senior forwards Mikayla Ernst (2 G, 4 Pts., 11 Shots, .182 shot percentage, 7 SOG, .636 SOG percentage, 1 game-winning goal) and Hadley Lockhart (2 G, 4 Pts., 4 Shots, .500 shot percentage, 4 SOG, 1.000 SOG percentage). Senior goalkeeper Kristen Wright (5-1, 1 GA, 0.19 goals-against average, 9 SV, .900 save percentage, 2 shutouts, 3 combined shutouts, 39 shots faced, 475:44 minutes) leads UCM between the posts.
- Through six matches, the Jennies are third in the MIAA in scoring with 15 goals and second in goals allowed, giving up just one goal on the season so far.
- UCM was picked third in the 2026 MIAA Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Weekly Honors
- MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week: Coryn Jespersen, Sept. 15
- Sophomore midfielder Coryn Jespersen has been voted the MIAA Women's Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week for her performance on the soccer pitch during the week Sept. 7-13, it was announced by the conference office on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
- Jespersen helped Central Missouri to a pair of 4-0 shutout road wins in Arkansas last week. In UCM's 4-0 triumph at Harding on Friday, Sept. 11, Jespersen dished out a UCM single-match record-tying three assists, becoming the 10th Jennies Soccer player to compile three assists in a match. On Sunday, Sept. 13, in the Jennies' 4-0 victory at Ouachita Baptist, she scored the game-winning goal in the 21st minute and recorded an assist.
- For the week, Jespersen posted one goal, four assists, six points, six shots, four shots on goal, and a .667 shots on goal percentage.
- Previous MIAA Athletes of the Week for Jennies Soccer in 2026:
Jennies in the Rankings
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
- Newman: The Jennies and Jets will meet for the seventh time in the all-time series Sunday in Warrensburg. UCM is a perfect 6-0 in the series. Central Missouri bested Newman last season in Wichita, Kan., 3-0.
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 324-58-31 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
UCM is back on the road for MIAA matches at Fort Hays State in Hays, Kan., on Friday, Sept. 25, and at Nebraska Kearney on Sunday, Sept. 27, in Kearney, Neb.
