Springfield Standard

Missouri State University's women's soccer team opened its home season with a 1-0 loss to Kansas City at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium on Thursday night. The Bears created several scoring opportunities and maintained pressure throughout the match, but a late goal by Kansas City in the 87th minute decided the outcome.

Head coach Kirk Nelson commented on the game, stating, "It was a tough home opening loss for the program. We had some really bright spots in all four moments of the game, but one small lapse with a couple of minutes left and unfortunately they were able to get one on us to win."

The decisive moment came when Kansas City scored following a quick counterattack. Missouri State nearly equalized two minutes later when freshman Ava Batiuk's shot went just wide before time expired.

During the first half, Missouri State pressed forward and earned four corner kicks while testing Kansas City's defense with shots from Maddie Schneiderhahn, Julia Kristensen, and Brooke Cattoor. After halftime, Kristensen and senior forward Reilly Heman combined for six shots as the Bears continued their offensive efforts.

Goalkeeper Ella Becker made two saves in another steady performance. Defenders Kayla Smith and Schneiderhahn helped keep Kansas City's attack quiet until late in the match.

Despite not securing a win, Missouri State outshot Kansas City 10-7 and generated quality chances during the contest.

Nelson also acknowledged fan support: "I want to give a huge shoutout to all of the fans that came out today to cheer us on. It was awesome to see the stands full of supporters. Now we focus on getting ready for our game on Sunday. We will bounce back"

Missouri State will now begin a two-game road trip starting Sunday against SIUE at 2:00 p.m., followed by an away match at SEMO on Thursday, Aug. 28.