The Racers dropped to 4-6-4 overall and 0-3-3 against conference opponents on Thursday, Oct. 10, after losing on the road to the Missouri State University Bears.
Missouri State jumped in front to an early lead in the 7th minute after Missouri State’s senior forward Grace O’Keefe got on the board thanks to a few key passes. Senior forward Julia Kristensen and sophomore defender Addisyn Weiskopf both earned an assist on the score.
The score was 1-0 in favor of the Bears going into halftime, as the Racers had been outshot 8-3. Missouri State was able to keep control of the ball and continue their attack offensively. To tie things up, the Racers were going to need to take and keep possession of the ball.
While the Racers did improve their shot total in the second half, the Bears kept their momentum from the beginning of the game and outshot Murray State 8-5 in the half. Missouri State got out to an aggressive start, attempting four shots in as many minutes to start the second half.
There were eight shots taken in the second half before junior forward Mary Hardy tied the game up in the 72nd minute after an assist by junior defender Megan Wilson. This goal was countered by a Missouri State goal in the 76th minute from freshman defender Jane Hansen. O’Keefe earned an assist on the eventual game-winning goal.
Missouri State went on to close the game out and win the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) matchup 2-1. The Bears improved to 7-4-3 on the season and 5-0-1 in conference play. The Racers are tenth in the conference, as the Bears are currently seated in first place.
Hardy scored the only goal for the Racers, she had three shot attempts. Wilson attempted two shots to go along with an assist, as freshman forward Breece Bass, sophomore defender Hannah Carter and senior forward Mackenzie Tucker each recorded one shot. Sophomore goalkeeper Griselda Revolorio played all 90 minutes of the matchup, she saved six shots.
“We created enough to maybe stay in the game,” Racers head coach Matt Lodge said. “But I think [Griselda Revolorio] really kept us in that game and I thought Tori [Schrimpf] and Morgan [Bodker] at center back did a great job. It was a great finish from Mary [Hardy] as well.”
The Racers shift their attention onto their next matchup at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct, 17, where the Racers will host the Indiana State Sycamores. If you are unable to make it to the game, you can catch it live on ESPN+.