Springfield Standard

Missouri State University's women's soccer team is set to play Central Arkansas on Thursday, September 11, at the Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex in Conway, Arkansas. The match will begin at 6 p.m.

Missouri State holds a 7-4-1 advantage in the all-time series against Central Arkansas. This season, the Bears have a record of 2-5-1, with both wins secured on the road against SIUE and SEMO.

Abby Hansen leads Missouri State with nine points this season, having scored three goals and provided three assists. She has also converted her only penalty attempt. Reilly Heman is next with six points from two goals and two assists and leads the team with 18 shots taken.

Brooke Cattoor has contributed two goals and successfully converted her only penalty kick attempt. Julia Kristensen has added a goal and an assist while taking 17 shots this season. Kristensen holds the program's single-season assist record with 13 in 2024 and ranks third all-time for career assists at Missouri State with 19.

Goalkeeper Ella Becker has started all eight matches so far, making 33 saves and posting a .688 save percentage. She recorded a shutout against SEMO earlier in the season.

Other contributors include Emma Shields and Maggie O'Keefe, who have each scored once, as well as Rowann Law who has also found the net this year. The Bears are averaging 1.38 goals per game while holding opponents to a .159 shot percentage.

This year marks Missouri State's first season competing in Conference USA after spending 29 years in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). During their time in the MVC, they compiled a record of 93-68-31 (.646), won four tournament titles (2000, 2017, 2022, and 2024), and claimed their first regular-season championship in 2024.

The coaching staff received recognition as MVC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2024 after leading Missouri State to its first-ever MVC regular-season title. The team finished as the No.1 seed that year and completed a two-year unbeaten streak in conference play over twenty matches; their last loss was on October 23, 2022, against Illinois State.