Goals from Nikki Lynch and Reighan Childers late in the second half of the game Sunday afternoon pushed UMKC past Creighton, 2-1, to stay undefeated on the young season.
The first half was very evenly match, with each team seeing opportunities but not being able to take advantage, until the 37th minute when Creighton put home a penalty kick to give them a 1-0 lead. Goalkeeper Nina Tzianos went after a ball crossed into the box aggressively and ended up with a foul to give the Bluejays the penalty kick.
“We played well in the first half,” said head coach Chris Cissell. “I just didn’t see the fire and want-to that I thought our team should have. We went into the locker room and I told them that I was not seeing that will-to-win I expected.”
The halftime speech fueled the ‘Roos, and they came out in the second and put pressure on the Creighton defense. They stayed in the attacking-third of the field and forced corner after corner, but struggled to convert on their opportunities.
The ‘Roos kicked up the intensity a notch and looked like they would not go down without a fight. In the 76th minute, sophomore forward Kara Priest sent a laser ricocheting off the cross bar. From that point on UMKC decided they were going to win the game, and in the 82nd minute Lynch put the team on her back and beat her defender and tucked the ball inside the far post from 15 yards out for the equalizer.
A little bit of good luck came to UMKC in the 85th minute by way of a handball. The ‘Roos were attacking and a ball bounced hard to hit a Creighton defender’s hand in the box to give them a penalty kick.
Priest stepped up and sent a shot that was saved by the Creighton keeper, but not controlled, and Childers took the rebound and buried it in the back of the net for the game winner.
“I’m so happy Reighan had the poise to follow the shot and knock it home,” Cissell said. “It was a great play. It is unfortunate for Creighton to get that handball in the box to give us a penalty kick, but at the same time, they scored their goal off a PK in the first half. I am so proud of the fight our girls showed in the second half to come back and beat a great Creighton team.”
The ‘Roos will take the pitch in Springfield, Missouri on Friday, August 28, at 7 p.m. for their next match when they continue their season against in-state foe Missouri State. They will then head to Macomb, Illinois to face the Western Illinois Leathernecks on August 30. The Sunday match is set to kick off at 1 p.m. central time.