WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The Minnesota State women's soccer team was handed its first loss of the 2021 season Friday night by a final score of 4-3 vs. the seventh-rated Central Missouri Jennies.
After the Mavericks (1-0, 0-0 NSIC) scored a pair of first-half goals to take a 2-0 lead into halftime intermission, the Jennies (3-0, 0-0 MIAA) mustered up four goals with only one answer from the Mavericks in the second half. The Jennies held on to win after scoring the eventual game-winner in the 88th minute off the right foot of Ashleigh Martin.
MSU opened the scoring early when sophomore forward Allie Williams used a free kick, from just a couple of feet out in front of the box to bank a shot off a UCM defender and in for the lead in the seventh minute. In the 26th minute, junior forward Nadia Lowery scored her first goal of the season off a touch-pass assist from Brynn Desens. After one half, MSU led UCM 2-0.
UCM ramped things up offensively in half number two, scoring four goals to MSU's one in the second half. The Mavericks' lone marker was scored by Desens in the 79th minute to help the MSU reclaim the lead 3-2 before UCM scored another pair of goals in the final 10 minutes to tie and take the lead 4-3. Martin's boot from the right-outside point of the box found the top-left corner and was the eventual game-winning goal in the 88th minute after the Jennies held the lead for the remaining two minutes to stave off the Mavericks in a one-goal victory.
In the match, the Mavericks were outshot by the Jennies 24-14. However, MSU proved to be more accurate with its' shots landing 8 of their 14 shots attempted on net as opposed to the Jennies' 9 on 24 attempts. UCM edged MSU in corner kicks 4-3 while MSU finished with more fouls in the match 9-6.
Both goalkeepers, Clare Longueville for MSU and Lindsey Johnson for UCM, had five saves and played all 90 minutes of Friday's contest.
Up next, the Mavericks head to Northwest Missouri State to take on the Bearcats, Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in another nonconference contest to conclude their weekend slate.
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