ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Missouri Western soccer team (1-0-1) is set to host its first home matches at Spratt Stadium this week against William Jewell (1-1) on Thursday and Sioux Falls (S.D.) (0-2) on Sunday.
Thursday's "Blackout Night" against the Cardinals is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. During the match, the Gold Coat BBQ will be held at the Bill Snyder Pavilion. The week will conclude with a Sunday afternoon clash with the Cougars at noon.
Tommy Rezac will voice both matches, beginning with a pregame interview with coach
Jacob Plocher 15 minutes before each game on
GoGriffons.com/listen.
BUY TICKETS
Fans are encouraged to skip the lines and save money by purchasing tickets in advance. You can buy tickets online through the
Griffon Box Office or the Hometown Ticketing Fan App. Tickets on game days will also be available at the Spratt Stadium ticket office.
WATCH ONLINE - MIAA NETWORK
All MIAA football, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball, baseball and softball regular season conference games will be streamed live on the MIAA Network. The MIAA Network showcased over 1,500 live broadcasts for its 14 member schools last season. For more information, visit
https://www.themiaanetwork.com/.
LISTEN - VARSITY NETWORK APP & GoGriffons.com/listen
Live streams of Missouri Western athletics are now available on The Varsity Network app. All home and away football and men's and women's basketball games will be available to listen to for free on Varsity and at
GoGriffons.com/listen. Available on iPhone and Android, fans can access free audio streams for game days on the Varsity Network App. Fans can also receive push notifications as reminders for upcoming games and broadcasts. Once you download The Varsity Network app, search 'Missouri Western' and select which Griffon teams you want to follow. For more information on The Varsity Network and how to listen to the Griffons,
click here. Audio broadcasts can also be found at
GoGriffons.com/listen. Audio broadcasts will also be archived at
GoGriffons.com/listen in the 'On Demand' section, and on the
Griffon Sports Insider Podcast, which is available on Spotify, Apple and wherever you podcast.
LAST TIME OUT
The 20th year of Griffon Soccer started strong with a 1-0 win against Bemidji State (Minn.) and a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Northern State (S.D.).
The MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week,
Lauren Nylund, had an impressive start to her senior season. The San Antonio, Texas native finished the week with four points, including the game-winner against the Beavers on Friday and a penalty kick equalizer against the Wolves on Sunday.
Katelynn Rowland earned her first point of the season with an assist against BSU. The senior defender also took six shots, with five on goal.
Elisabeth Pujado matched her team-leading six shots and added a pair goal for the Griffons.
Senior
Keeley Kroonenberg (1-0-1) started both games in goal for Western. The Highlands Ranch, Colorado native achieved her sixth career shutout and collected eight saves over the weekend.
HISTORY AGAINST WJC
The Griffons and Cardinals have faced each other three times since 2012, with WJC holding a 2-1 advantage. Last season, Missouri Western claimed its first victory in the series with a 2-0 shutout victory on the road at Greene Stadium. Pujado and
Jaden Skinner each tallied goals off assisted passes from
Kendall Knisley and
Ella Gant.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
William Jewell struggled to find a rhythm in the 2023 season, finishing 1-14-1 (1-11-1 GLVC), and was picked to finish 14th in the GLVC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The Cardinals come into the matchup with a 1-1 record. They won the season opener 2-0 at home against Newman (Kan.) and lost 4-0 on the road against Wayne State (Neb.). Clara Fronabarger, a senior forward, and Lux Sands, a junior midfielder, scored in the season-opening win.
HISTORY AGAINST USF
Missouri Western has won all three meetings against Sioux Falls dating back to 2017. MWSU won the first match with a 4-2 victory in Sioux Falls, where Cassidy Menke scored two goals. In the most recent matchup at Spratt Stadium in 2019, Ashley Mathis also scored two goals to propel the Griffons to a 2-1 victory.
ABOUT THE COUGARS
Sioux Falls finished 2023 with a 3-11-3 (3-8-3 NSIC) record last season and was picked to 13th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The Cougars are 0-2 at the moment, with a game against Rockhurst next before heading to town on Sunday. USF lost their season opener 2-1 to Nebraska Kearney and fell to Lincoln 1-0. Freshman Martina Krattley has scored the team's only goal of the season against UNK.
