No. 25 Women's Soccer Tops Park to Open Heart Play

Parkville, Mo., (Sept. 16, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's soccer teams opened play in the Heart of America Athletic Conference with a road doubleheader in Parkville, Mo., against Park (Mo.), Saturday evening. The No. 25 women's team earned a 2-1 victory, while the No. 21 men's team pulled away in the second half for a 4-0 win.

The women's game started with Missouri Valley creating early chances.  Sophomore Forward Viktoria Einsbor (Havdrup, Denmark) put a header on goal with six minutes played, but the Park keeper made a save.  Just over one minute later, Sophomore Defender Marta Carrasco Mesa (Sevilla, Spain) sent a shot towards goal that beat the keeper and put the Vikings on top, 1-0.  Freshman Goalkeeper Lola Benitez (Madrid, Spain) was called on for her first save near the 21-minute mark, then Sophomore Forward Judit Ferre (Barcelona, Spain) nearly increased the advantage just over one minute later, but her shot was saved.  Benitez was called on for another save with 12 minutes to play in the half.  Two shots came with nearly 10 minutes remaining before the break, as attempts from Sophomore Midfielder Carla Carmona (Barcelona, Spain) and Junior Forward Miriam Aldabo Alguero (Mequinenza, Spain) were both saved.  Missouri Valley kept Park from creating any more chances late in the half, and went into halftime holding a 1-0 advantage.

The Pirates got out in the second half, and found the equalizer with less than seven minutes played, scoring a goal to tie the teams at 1-1.  Missouri Valley answered back minutes later, as Senior Midfielder Miluska Guevara (Panama City, Panama) set up Sophomore Forward Ashley Arribas (Lake Forest, Calif.) with a shot that got past the Park keeper and into goal to put MVC in front once again, 2-1, with 18-minutes played in the half.  Park could only create one more quality chance in the closing minutes of the half, as Benitez made one more save with 15 minutes remaining to help preserve the 2-1 victory.

Arribas scored her fourth goal of the season, and her second game-winning goal.  Carrasco Mesa added her first goal, and Guevara registered her second assist.  Benitez made three saves in goal.  Missouri Valley held a 16-7 advantage in shots and a 5-0 edge in corner kicks.

Missouri Valley improves to 2-3-2 overall and 1-0 in the Heart.  Park drops to 3-1-1 on the season and 0-1 in the conference.

The men's game started with early chances created by Park.  Sophomore Goalkeeper Vincente Benitez Delgado (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) was called on for a save with five minutes played to keep the game scoreless.  The first quality chance for MissourI Valley came at the 28-minute mark when Sophomore Midfielder Julius Kruger (Berline, Germany) got off a shot on goal, with the Park keeper making the save.  Junior Midfielder Malik Hasanovikj (Skopje, North Macedonia) and Senior Defender Kazuki Hashimoto (Yokohama, Japan) each had shots on goal with less than 12 minutes to play before the break, and each attempt was saved.  The Vikings continued to build up pressure, and eventually broke through with the opening goal of the game.  Sophomore Forward Leul Alfageme Nadela (Madrid, Spain) set up Junior Defender Daniel Fernandez (Madrid, Spain) with a shot, which got past the keeper and into goal to put MVC in front, 1-0, with four minutes to play in the half.  Kruger nearly extended the advantage in the closing moments of the half, but his shot was saved.  The Vikings went into halftime with a 1-0 advantage.

Missouri Valley increased its advantage early in the second half, as Hasanovikj assisted Junior Midfielder Yoshiki Igarashi (Tokyo, Japan) with a goal to make it a 2-0 score with just over eight minutes played after the restart.  The lead grea to 3-0 on a goal from Freshman Forward Kerim Akpinar (Bremen, Germany), off another Hasanovikj assist, at the 67-minute mark.  The Vikings continued to create opportunities, and Igarashi added his second goal of the night, making it a 4-0 score with less than 20 minutes remaining in the game.  Park was held without a shot on goal through the rest of the half, and Missouri Valley closed out a 4-0 win.

Igarashi scored two goals, while Hasanovikj recorded two assists.  Fernandez and Akpinar each had one goal.  Benitez Delgado made one save and earned his first shutout of the season.

Missouri Valley improves to 2-3 on the season and 1-0 in the Heart.  Park moves to 2-2 overall and  0-1 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking soccer teams will travel to Canton, Mo., for a Heart doubleheader against Culver-Stockton (Mo.), Wednesday.  Women's game at 5 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.

Women's Box Score-Click Here

Men's Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.