No. 18 Women's Soccer Secures Undefeated & Outright Heart Title

Lamoni, Iowa, (Oct. 26, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's soccer teams traveled to Lamoni, Iowa for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader with Graceland (Iowa), Saturday evening.  The No. 18 women's soccer team held off Graceland for a 3-1 win to capture an undefeated and outright regular season title.

The women's game started with Missouri Valley creating early chances on goal.  With one minute played, Senior Forward Miriam Aldabo Alguero (Mequinenza, Spain) put a shot on target, which was saved.  Nearly 10-minutes later, Junior Defender Ana Rendon (Medellin, Colombia) sent a pass into the GU box, which was collected by Senior Forward Ashley Arribas (Lake Forest, Calif.).  Arribas got off a shot close to goal, and put an attempt past the keeper to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead.  Sophomore Goalkeeper Marina Barbara Bujalance (Cornella Llobregat, Spain) made a pair of saves near the one-minute mark to keep the Yellowjackets scoreless.  Rendon added a shot with 20-minutes played in the half, which was saved by the Graceland keeper.  The Vikings held the better of possession through the next stretch of play, and eventually drew a foul inside the GU box, which resulted in a penalty kick.  Junior Midfielder Carla Carmona (Barcelona, Spain) stepped up and put her attempt into goal to extend the advantage to 2-0 with just over 10-minutes to play in the half.  The Vikings stayed in front going into halftime, holding the two-goal advantage.

Graceland tested Barbara Bujalance at the start of the second half, and a save was made with just over seven minutes played after the restart.  Carmona added a shot on goal one minute later, which was also saved.  The Yellowjackets closed the gap near the 62-minute mark, making it a 2-1 score.  Junior Forward Marlene Flores (Bolivia) came back quickly with an attempt on goal moments after the restart, but the attempt was saved.  Missouri Valley held the better of possession through the rest of play.  Junior Midfielder Serena Abe (Mesquite, Texas) and Junior Forward Viktoria Einsbor (Havdrup, Denmark) each put shots on goal with nearly 30-minutes played, and the GU keeper made a pair of saves.  The Vikings had one more attempt late in the contest, and Abe set up Aldabo Alguero with a shot that hit off the post and into goal in the final minute to secure the victory, by a 3-1 score.

Arribas scored one goal, and now has 12 goals and 27 points on the season.  Arribas also sits with 99-career points.  Carmona added the fourth goal and first game winning goal of the season, and Aldabo Alguero came through with the fourth goal of the season.  Rendon and Abe both registered their third assists.  Missouri Valley held a 16-6 advantage in shots.

Missouri Valley finishes its regular season with a 13-3-1 overall record and a 10-0-1 recor din the Heart.  The team secured an outright Heart regular season championship, the first regular season conference title since 1993.  This also clinches an automatic berth into the 2024 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship, the fourth-straight appearance for the program.  Graceland drops to 6-9-3 on the season and 3-7-1 in the Heart.

Up next, the men's soccer team will close out the regular season with a Heart contest against Benedictine (Kan.), Friday at 3 p.m., inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.  The women's team will next play in the Heart Postseason Tournament as the No. 1 seed, and will host a first round game, Nov. 5.

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.