The Griffon News

The Missouri Western soccer team is off to a slow start in conference play and will look to right the ship on the road.

The Griffons will first face the Emporia State Hornets, who they defeated twice last season. The Hornets are currently 2-3 overall. Sophomore Heather Schmiemeir knows it’s important to come out strong in the match.

“We have to get on top of them early,” Schmiemeier said. “We need to score a couple quick goals to take their confidence away from them.”

The Hornets are led by junior Alicia Smith, who has two goals on the season. They are coached by Jim Schneiderhahn, who is in his second season with the Hornets.

The Griffons will also travel to Topeka, Kan. to face the Washburn Lady Blues. The Lady Blues are currently 3-2-1 on the season. Head coach Jeff Hansen knows Washburn will be tough to slow down.

“Washburn is a solid team,” Hansen said. “They will play three up top and they will be fast.”

The Lady blues are coached by Tim Collins,in his seventh year with team. They are led by senior Danielle Ayala and senior Jessica Mainz, who have six and four points a piece.

The MIAA is one of the toughest conferences in division II. They have two teams ranked in the top 25. The University of Nebraska-Omaha is currently ranked six in the nation, while Truman State is number 16. They also have Southwest Baptist who is 3-0, and Northwest, who is 5-1. Coach Hansen believes the MIAA is a tough conference.

“Some people could say the conference is too good, but would you rather have a conference with a bunch of cupcakes,” Hansen said. “The strong conference helps prepare teams for the national tournament, when you have to get up for every game.”

The Griffons have dropped their first two conference games of the season. They lost most recently to rival  Northwest, by the score of 3-1. They lost a hard fought battle to Nebraska-Omaha, 1-0.

“The UNO game is the best overall game we have played all season,” Hansen said. “If we play like that every game, we will have a very successful season.”

The Griffons have had both underclassmen and upperclassmen step up so far this season. Senior Michelle Polk is leading the team with four points. Freshman Audrey Henderson is second on the team with three points. There are numerous other ladies tied with two points.

The Griffons will wrap up their road trip with a game against Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, before they will return home for a three game home stand, which will begin Sept. 27. During the home stand they will face conference opponents Missouri Southern, Truman State and Central Missouri.