Box Score ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] Goals from Morgan Mell and Riley Janvrin lifted Missouri Baptist to a 2-0 conference win over Hannibal-LaGrange Tuesday afternoon.
The Spartans (9-5, 7-2 AMC) shutout the Trojans to remain in third place in the AMC. MBU took control from the start, aided by a 27th minute goal from Morgan Mell.
Mell received a pass from Riley Janvrin left of the net and inside the box. She turned center and knocked the ball into the net. The sophomore's third goal on the season put MBU ahead 1-0 in a one-sided first half.
Helped by a strong back line of Jackie Hagan, Desiree Robinson, Tannah Rose, Alexandra Heinz and others, the Spartans didn't allow the Trojans to get a single shot off in the first half. MBU outshot Hannibal 10-0 in the first 45 minutes and had a few other good looks that didn't go.
Despite the strong opening half, MBU held to the one goal advantage for nearly the rest of the match. The second half was much more evenly played, but Hannibal couldn't net the equalizer and MBU couldn't quite net an insurance goal.
That changed in the 86th minute thanks to tremendous ball movement. Cassandra Willhite and Heinz completed a give-and-go down the left sideline before Heinz sent the ball into the middle. Janvrin was there to put it away and give MBU the 2-0 lead.
That's all the home team needed as they cruised in the final four minutes to victory. Alex Lair pitched the shutout and the Spartans outshot Hannibal 12-3 overall. The team will look to win its third straight on Saturday at Lyon. That match is set for 11:00 am.
