ST. JOSEPH. Mo. - No. 15 Griffon Soccer (14-0-2, 9-0-1 MIAA) seeks to secure its first conference championship in program history this weekend, starting with a Friday match against Emporia, followed by the regular season finale against No. 20 Washburn on Sunday.
 
Friday's match with the Hornets is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. kickoff from the ESU Soccer Pitch in Emporia, Kansas. The weekend will conclude with a highly-anticipated match against the Ichabods on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. from Yager Stadium in Topeka, Kansas.
 
CHASING A CHAMPIONSHIP
The Missouri Western soccer program is having an outstanding season filled with many milestones, and they have the opportunity to make even more history. If the Griffons win against Emporia State tomorrow night, they will secure at least a share of the conference title. Since the program's inception in 2005, Western has never won an MIAA Championship.
 
RECAPPING LAST WEEKEND
Missouri Western kept its undefeated streak intact and extended its shutout streak to a program-record eight matches with 1-0 victories at Spratt Stadium against Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern.
 
Junior Sydney Hammett scored her second goal of the season in the 76th minute, leading the Griffons to victory in their first match against the Gorillas. MWSU outshot Pitt State 17-2 and earned six corner kicks.
 
On Senior Day, the Griffons put on an impressive performance, firing off 29 shots (14 on goal) compared to Missouri Southern's eight. Junior Rachyl Benavides chipped in her fourth goal of the season in the 42nd minute.
 
CLIMBING THE RANKS
Missouri Western made significant strikes in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, jumping five spots to No. 15. Washburn is the only other MIAA team ranked in the top 25. The Ichabods fell five spots following their first conference loss, a 2-1 defeat against Fort Hays State on the road.
 
KROONENBERG AND NYLUNF CLAIM MIAA WEEKELY HONORS
Lauren Nylund claimed MIAA Defender of the Week for a remarkable fourth time this season, while Keeley Kroonenberg got MIAA Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time in 2024.
 
Nylund played a crucial role in anchoring the Missouri Western defense, which achieved two shutouts and extended its season shutout streak to eight matches. During the 1-0 victories over Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern, Nylund and the Griffon defense limited the Gorillas to only three shots and the Lions to just seven. She was on the field for the entire 180 minutes on defense and also took a shot that hit the crossbar against the Lions.
 
Kroonenberg recorded her sixth consecutive shutout and seventh overall of the year during a 1-0 victory against Pittsburg State. Kroonenberg also contributed to a shutout on Senior Day with another 1-0 win over Missouri Southern. In total, she made three saves across the two matches.
 
MIAA STANDINGS

SCHOOL	CONF	CPTS	CPCT	OVERALL	PCT	STREAK
Missouri Western	9-0-1	28	.950	14-0-2	.938	W2
Washburn	7-1-1	22	.833	10-3-2	.733	L1
Central Missouri	7-2-1	22	.750	10-4-2	.688	W1
Northwest Missouri	5-2-3	18	.650	7-3-6	.625	L1
Central Oklahoma	5-2-3	18	.650	8-5-3	.594	T1
Fort Hays State	4-3-2	14	.556	7-4-4	.600	W1
Northeastern State	4-5	12	.444	10-5	.667	W1
Pittsburg State	3-4-2	11	.444	7-6-2	.533	W1
Emporia State	3-5-1	10	.389	5-7-2	.429	L3
Nebraska Kearney	2-4-3	9	.389	6-4-5	.567	W1
Rogers State	1-5-3	6	.278	2-10-3	.233	T1
Missouri Southern	0-7-2	2	.111	1-10-4	.200	L5
Newman	0-10	0	.000	0-15-1	.031	L14

 
TOP PERFORMERS
Senior defender Lauren Nylund leads the team with five goals this season, totaling 10 points. She also plays the most minutes on the team, logging 1,429 minutes. Close behind her is Brookelyn Buttolph, who has played 1,424 minutes. Additionally, senior defender Katelynn Rowland ranks seventh in the MIAA for shots on goal, with a total of 20.
 
Other key contributors to Griffon's scoring include Benavides, who scored four goals and provided two assists; Kendall Knisley, who scored three goals and four assists; and Aidyn Woodall, who scored three goals and four assists. All three attackers have 10 points this season.
 
Goalkeeper Kroonenberg has collected record of 12-0-2 this season. Her goals-against average of 0.369 ranks second in the league. She has seven shutouts this season and made 34 saves, resulting in a save percentage of .872, the third-highest in the MIAA.
 
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State (5-7-2, 3-5-1 MIAA) has been struggling recently, heading into tomorrow's match on a three-game losing streak. In non-conference play, the Hornets finished with a record of 2-2-1, securing victories against Southwest Minnesota State and Northern State. They have also claimed wins over Newman, Missouri Southern and Rogers State in conference play.
 
Last season, ESU finished with a record of 14-6-3 (8-2-1 MIAA) and was projected to place fifth in the 2024 MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll. They secured the 2023 MIAA Conference Championship with a 3-2 victory over Central Missouri. Their run for the national championship continued as they achieved two wins in the NCAA Central Regional before losing to Washburn in the championship game, 2-1.  
 
ABOUT THE ICHABODS
Washburn has received national recognition since the preseason and is currently ranked No. 20 in the country with a record of 10-3-2 (7-1-1 MIAA). They began the season with a non-conference record of 3-2-2, securing victories against Southwest Minnesota State, Wayne State, and Black Hills State. In conference play, Washburn started with a 0-0 draw against Central Oklahoma but then went on an impressive seven-match winning streak, during which they outscored their opponents 18-0. However, in their most recent match against Fort Hays State, the Ichabods faced their first conference defeat, falling 2-1.
 
In 2023, WU had an incredible season, finishing with a record 21-4-1 (9-1-1 MIAA). They were selected to defend their title as the MIAA champions in the 2024 MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll. Although the Ichabods struggled in their MIAA Tournament Quarterfinal match against Emporia State, they rebounded strongly in the NCAA Tournament. They achieved impressive victories over Ouachita Baptist (in overtime), No. 15 Central Missouri (also in overtime), Emporia State, Grand Valley State, and No. 14 Adelphi, securing a place in the national championship match. In a tightly contested title game, they were narrowly defeated by No. 13 Point Loma, finishing the season as the NCAA Women's Soccer National Runner-up.