ST. LOUIS – MBU Women's Soccer falls to the Graceland Yellowjackets on a day of celebration for the program's senior class, 2-0.Â
Eight seniors were honored for their contributions to the women's soccer team and the University as a whole: Meaghan Carroll, AnnaRose Eldred, Kate Jose, Jordyn Maryas, Hannah Miller, Jersey Moonier, Jenna Prosser, and Clara Rincon.Â
As for the competition, a quick glance at the box score would tell quite a different story from watching the entire 90 minutes. GU was in possession for most of the match, finishing with a drastic 38 shots, 16 of which were on goal. However, Missouri Baptist's defense was well-prepared, led by goalkeeper Jordyn Maryas, who tallied a career-high 14 saves.Â
Graceland's two goals were separated by almost 79 minutes of play, the first of which came in the 22nd minute, and the second in the 89th. During that gap, the Spartan squad displayed a fight and grit that was somewhat lacking in recent matches. While limited to just two shots, both by junior Addisyn Sopczak, MBU could not be counted out until the final buzzer.Â
Of the eight seniors, Eldred (60 minutes), Jose (64 minutes), Maryas (90 minutes), and Moonier (50 minutes) saw action today.Â
"I think we played better collectively," said Head Coach Deno Merrick. "We still made a couple mistakes on our end that we can clean up, but I think overall we played better. Very good team, in terms of Graceland. They showed that competitive spirit. We matched it for the most part, but quality stood out and they got two good goals, which we could have defended better. We just didn't take the chances we created, so we need to work on that side of it more to get better for the next games that we have."Â
That next game will be a Tuesday matchup with Missouri Valley University in Marshall, Mo. at 5 p.m.Â
