No. 20 Women's Soccer Builds Up Big Lead in Senior Day Win Over Park

Marshall, Mo., (Oct. 19, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College soccer teams hosted Park (Mo.) in a Senior Day doubleheader in Heart of America Athletic Conference play.  The No. 20 women's team built up a lead in the first half, and pulled away for a 5-0 win.  The No. 7 men's team used an early goal to earn a 1-0 victory.

The women's game opened with Missouri Valley taking the better of possession, and creating chances early.  Senior Forward Ashley Arribas (Lake Forest, Calif.) had a shot on goal with nearly two minutes played, and Junior Midfielder Carla Carmona (Barcelona, Spain) added a shot on target less than five minutes later, but both were saved by the Park keeper.  Missouri Valley eventually earned three-consecutive corner kicks, and the third attempt led to an own goal scored off a Pirate defender to put MVC in front, 1-0, with less than 17-minutes off the clock.  Shortly after the restart, the Vikings created another opportunity, and the pair of Carmona and Arribas worked to create a shot for Junior Midfielder Madi Hudson (Sandbach, England).  The shot from Hudson hit off the keeper's hands, but went into goal to push the advantage out to 2-0.  Near the 25-minute mark, a cross into the Park box was deflected off a defender, and ricocheted off the crossbar.  Arribas went up for the ball, and out-jumped the Pirate keeper, to send a header into the net and make it a 3-0 score.  One more goal was tacked on with less than eight minutes to play in the half as Freshman Defender Emma Market (St. Peters, Mo.) sent a pass to Junior Midfielder Judit Ferre (Barcelona, Spain).  Ferre dribbled through the Park box, and sent a low shot past the keeper to give the team a 4-0 lead going into halftime.

The first chance on goal created in the second half came from Park, as Sophomore Goalkeeper Lola Benitez (Madrid, Spain) made a save with nearly eight minutes played.  Junior Forward Viktoria Einsbor (Havdrop, Denmark) and Junior Defender Marta Carrasco Mesa (Sevilla, Spain) both tested the Park keeper through the 61-minute mark, but the shots were saved.  The Vikings continued to pressure, and eventually earned a penalty kick after a foul in the Pirate box.  Carmona stepped up for the attempt, and put her shot in goal to make it a 5-0 advantage midway through the half.  Park came close to cutting down its deficit, with one shot off the post, and forcing Senior Goalkeeper Melissa Sandoval (Weiser, Idaho) into a save in the final six minutes of play.  The Vikings eventually finished the game with a 5-0 victory.

Both Carmona and Arribas totaled one goal and one assist apiece.  Arribas has nine goals, three assists and 21 points, while Carmona totals three goals, two assists and eight points.  Ferre now has seven goals and 20 points on the season, and Hudson sits with three goals and nine points.  Market has one assist.  The trio of Sophomore Goalkeeper Marina Barbara Bujalance (Cornella Llobregat, Spain), Benitez and Sandoval teamed up to make two saves and record the team's eighth shutout this season.  The Vikings held a 14-6 advantage in shots and a 5-2 edge in corner kicks.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 11-3-1 overall and 8-0-1 in the Heart.  Park drops to 5-7-1 on the season and 3-5 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking soccer teams travel to Baldwin City, Kan., to play Baker (Kan.) in a Heart doubleheader, Wednesday evening.  Women's game starts at 5 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 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.