For the second week this season, Jennies soccer shut out both of their opponents in home wins over Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney and have earned shutouts in three of their last four games.
The Jennies bounced back from their 2-0 loss to Central Oklahoma and have now followed both losses this season with victories in their next two games. Central Missouri has posted six shutouts through 14 games this season with four of them at Jennies Field.
Senior Emily Griffin assisted on the Jennies only goal in a 1-0 win over Fort Hays State Friday at South Recreational Complex
Senior Emily Griffin said the Jennies have used the losses as a learning experience.
“It really just shows us what we need to work on,” Griffin said. “So it’s just about getting better and getting to the endpoint.”
The Jennies have turned to a new goaltender in the last two weeks with true freshman Lindsey Johnson making her Jennies debut against Northeastern State Oct. 5 where she stopped all 12 Riverhawks shots on goal in a 6-0 victory.
“It’s been an adjustment for sure,” Johnson said. “I’ve definitely gained confidence as I’ve trained more and been on the field more.”
The Jennies scored the only goal early in their 1-0 win over Fort Hays State Friday when freshman Maria Wilder scored her second goal of the season on a pass from sophomore Haley Freeman. Johnson faced 13 Tigers shots with five of them on goal.
“After the first five minutes, our defense was just shutting everyone down,” Johnson said. “I was really confident in it so I felt like we were going to get the shutout.”
Against Nebraska-Kearney, the Jennies completely controlled the game, holding a 23-5 advantage in shots. It took until the 37th minute, but senior Courtney Killian broke the scoreless tie with a shot to the upper right corner of the net from 20 yards out on a pass from senior Emily Griffin. The Jennies picked up their second goal on an own goal when a corner kick scored off a Loper head to take a 2-0 victory.
Sophomore Makayla Toth has scored six goals and added seven assists this season. over half of her 38 shots this season have been on goal.
With two weeks left in the season, the Jennies sport an 11-2-1 record on the season and are currently not ranked by the United Soccer Coaches top-25 poll, where they spent the first four weeks of the season in first. They sit in second in the MIAA standings behind No. 11 Central Oklahoma, which remains undefeated and has put up 10 shutout wins this season.
Griffin said the Jennies are still getting better in the final weeks of the season.
“It’s nice to see improvement every day and that’s where you want to be,” she said. “I think we’re in a good place right now.”
Right behind UCM in third is Missouri Western, who handed the Jennies their first loss of the season. The Griffons are just one point behind the Jennies with a 10-4 record. The final game of the season will feature a rematch between these teams where second place in the conference could be decided.
Up next for Central Missouri is a pair of road games against Washburn Friday and Emporia State Sunday. Washburn is 6-6-2 and is in ninth place in the MIAA. Emporia State has an overall record of 9-4-1 and is in fourth place. The Hornets need a win against the Jennies if they want to compete for a top-3 finish in the conference.
The Jennies kickoff with Washburn is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday in Topeka, Kansas. They’ll match up with Emporia State at 2 p.m. Sunday in Emporia, Kansas.
