UMKC took the lead early on a penalty kick from Emily Herndon Sunday afternoon, and never looked back as they would go on to beat the Western Illinois Leathernecks 2-0 to move to 3-1 on the season.
The Leathernecks (1-2) gave the ‘Roos a bit of a freebie in the form of a handball to allow junior defender Emily Herndon to send a penalty kick home (9’) for her first goal of the season and the 12th of her career.
From that point on UMKC kept their foot on the gas and controlled the pitch the rest of the half, outshooting WIU 15-6 at intermission.
The ‘Roos came out of the break looking to add some insurance, and they did with a 53rd minute goal from freshman Lexie Howard. Howard got the ball from 30 yards out and beat a couple of defenders before sending it past the goalkeeper inside the far post, scoring her first-career goal.
Senior goalkeeper Nina Tzianos posted five saves for her second shutout of the season and 22nd of her career to get UMKC back in the win column after a 2-1 loss to Missouri State on Friday.
“This was an all-around team win,” head coach Chris Cissell said. “We came out with determination and made sure we won this one. The game against Missouri State was tough, so to bounce back like this was great. We got a lot of girls playing time and they each contributed to the win.”
20 players in total saw the pitch for the ‘Roos on Sunday, with 16 getting 20 minutes or more of playing time.
The ‘Roos return to Kansas City for a two-game home stand against South Dakota State and UT Martin. The game against SDSU is scheduled for Friday, September 4 at 7 p.m. UMKC follows the Friday night match with a Sunday “Family Fun Day” at Durwood Soccer Stadium with kickoff slated for 1 p.m.
– 2015-16 UMKC Women’s Soccer –