Lady Lions roar past Rolla, improve record
Eric Scott

Staff Writer

 

Women s soccer roared again with a rematch against the University of Missouri-Rolla on Oct. 2.

The first meeting of the year between the teams saw the Lady Lions come out on top 8-2, and the game was capped off with a four goal performance by Ashley Munnelly, sophomore midfielder.

Southern came into the game with a 6-1 (2-0) record and a lot of confidence. Prior to the game, it wasn t overlooking UMR, said Geoff VanDeusen, head coach.

 We can t overlook this team because they will be hungry to beat us,  he said.  We need to focus on this game and not take this team for granted. 

 We need to come out and play hard,  said Jenni Johnson, freshman midfielder.  Last time when we played this team, we didn t explode out of the gates. We need to put the game away early. 

Southern defeated Rolla 1-0 on an unassisted goal by Amber Phipps at 96:15 in overtime. The shot took a bad hop off of the UMR goalkeeper. The win takes the Lady Lions record to 7-1 (3-0).

After Rolla, the Lady Lions take on Northwest Missouri State at 6 p.m. on Friday at Bodon Field.

 We are playing with a lot of confidence right now,  VanDeusen said.  We ve shown a lot of heart, and we ve proved our ability to put the ball in the net.

 We re doing a good job of not overlooking our opponents. We have stuck to our game plans and stayed consistent with our attack. 

Part of the reason for the Lady Lions  record may be due to the fact they have outscored their opponents 23-13. Munnelly has 23 points this season, which includes 10 goals, three assists and three game winning goals.

 I think we ve been playing well and improving every game,  Johnson said.  We re looking better as a team every day. 

VanDeusen said the team needs to stay focused and keep playing hard. He said team continuity will be a vital factor if it is to win the MIAA championship.