No. 20 Women's Soccer Defeats Graceland in Home Shutout

Marshall, Mo., (Oct. 24, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's soccer teams hosted Graceland (Iowa) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader for Senior Night inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium Tuesday evening.  The No. 20 women's team finished out a 2-0 victory, while the No. 16 men's team scored a pair of goals in the second half to earn a 2-0 win, and secure an outright regular season Heart title.

The women's game started with Graceland producing the first shot on goal, which was saved by Freshman Goalkeeper Lola Benitez (Madrid, Spain) with less than five minutes played.  Missouri Valley tested the Yellowjacket keeper for the first time eight minutes later, as the attempt from Senior Midfielder Miluska Guevara (Panama City, Panama) was saved.  The Vikings held the better of possession through the next stretch of play, as Sophomore Defender Marta Carrasco Mesa (Sevilla, Spain) put two shots on goal, with both saved.  The second shot led to a rebound attempt from Sophomore Forward Ashley Arribas (Lake Forest, Calif.), but the GU keeper made another save to keep the contest scoreless with 19 minutes played.  Just over one minute later, Arribas had another opportunity, receiving a long pass from Freshman Defender Hana Kinami (Tokorozawa, Japan).  Arribas took a shot from 12 yards out that beat the keeper, and made it a 1-0 advantage.  Guevara nearly added to the lead less than five minutes later, as the Graceland keeper came up with another save.  The Vikings created a series of corner kicks in the final six minutes of play, but could not produce another shot on goal with nine corner kicks during the run, as the game went into halftime with a 1-0 score line.

The second half started with more corner kicks for Missouri Valley, producing four in the opening 15 minutes of play.  The Vikings eventually added to their lead, as Sophomore Forward Silvia Maldonado (Madrid, Spain) and Junior Forward Miriam Aldabo Alguero (Mequinenza, Spain) teamed up on a play that put Arribas on goal once again.  The shot from Arribas beat the keeper and put the team in front, 2-0 near the 62-minute mark.  Sophomore Forward Viktoria Einsbor (Havdrup, Denmark) came close to increasing the lead less than eight minutes later, as her shot hit off the crossbar.  Both Freshman Forward Julia Richardson (Ashland, Mo.) and Einsbor tested the GU keeper late in the match, but both attempts were saved.  Missouri Valley held the Yellowjackets to no shots on goal in the second half of play, and finished out a 2-0 victory.

Arribas scored two goals.  She now has 13 goals, 28 total points and six game-winning goals on the season, all team-highs.  Arribas has scored in seven-straight games, and recorded her second multi-goal game of the season.  Kinami and Aldabo Alguero both added their second assists, and Maldonado recorded her first assist.  Benitez made one save in goal, and earned her fifth shutout of the season.  Missouri Valley held a 17-2 advantage in shots, and totaled 17 corner kicks in the contest.

Missouri Valley improves to 10-4-2 overall and 9-1 in the Heart.  Graceland drops to 2-13-2 on the season and 0-9-1 in the conference.  The Vikings secured at least the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Heart Postseason Tournament with the win.

Up next, the Viking soccer teams finish the regular season with a road doubleheader in Atchison, Kan., Saturday, against Benedictine (Kan.).  The women's team takes on the No. 25 Ravens at 2 p.m., followed by the men's game at 4:30 p.m.

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.