ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Missouri Western soccer team (6-0-1, 1-0-0 MIAA) fended off a second-half rally by the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats (2-2-3, 0-1-0 MIAA) to secure its best start in program history with a 3-2 win on Wednesday night.
Tonight's victory marked MWSU's best start in 20 seasons, surpassing the 6-1 start of the 2017 team. Missouri Western also broke a seven-game win less streak against Northwest Missouri State dating back to 2019.
"Obviously, I am very happy and pleased with this team and what they have accomplished so far this season," head coach
Jacob Plocher said following the win. "This team has been through a lot, and to see it all come together is exciting." Plocher added, "We don't like how tight we made it at the end, but they were resilient, and ultimately all that matters is the outcome."
Neither team could find an offensive rhythm in the early portion of the match until the Griffons struck first in the 26th with sophomore
Kendall Knisley's second goal of the season, assisted by
Corinne Stewart. Knisley led the game with five shots, while Stewart tallied a team-leading two shots on goal.
During a momentum-driven conclusion of the first half,
Camrin Peaslee scored her second goal of the 2024 season in the 42nd minute following a well-placed chance from Knisley to give the Griffons a 2-0 advantage heading into intermission.
Missouri Western picked up right where they left off in the second half, as Stewart won a one-on-one battle with the Bearcats goalkeeper in the 52nd minute, chipping in her first goal of the season to extend the lead to 3-0.
Northwest made things interesting down the stretch with a pair of goals from Darrian Gordan in the 79th and 84th minutes. However, the Griffon defense stood firm, and senior
Keeley Kroonenberg made a pair of crucial saves in the final six minutes to secure the conference opening victory and keep their undefeated season intact.
Kroonenberg (5-0-1) tallied her 12th career win after recording five saves - the second most of the season. On the opposite side of the pitch, Lily Ellis added six saves in her second losing decision of the season.
Aidyn Woodall,
Katelynn Rowland,
Annie McDevitt,
Nicoletta Froehlich,
Lauren Nylund and
Brookelyn Buttolph played crucial roles in the win after contributing for the entire 90 minutes.
Western out shot Northwest 23-10, with a 9-7 advantage in shots on goal. Also, MWSU forced seven corners compared to NWMSU's two.
The Griffons will conclude their six-match home stand this Friday night at 7:00 p.m. against Rogers State. Tommy Rezac will provide play-by-play commentary, which will be broadcast on the MIAA Network, the Varsity Network App, and GoGriffons.com/listen.
