WC Missouri News

No. 13-ranked Central Missouri Jennies Soccer will start its 2025 season with two matches at The Pitch in Mankato, Minnesota. The team is scheduled to play Augustana (S.D.) on Friday, September 5 at noon, followed by a game against preseason No. 3 Minnesota State on Sunday, September 7 at 3 p.m.

Central Missouri enters the season ranked No. 13 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Division II Poll and was chosen as the preseason favorite in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Jennies bring back five position starters and their starting goalkeeper from last year's squad that finished with a record of 17-5-2 overall and 9-2-1 in conference play.

Key returning players include Izzy Joyce, who was named the 2024 MIAA Freshman of the Year after recording eight goals and four assists; All-Central Region defender Laney Reishus; Second Team All-MIAA defender Mackenzie Smith; defender Gracie Knight; midfielder Anna Lack; and Third Team All-MIAA goalkeeper Kristen Wright. Last season, Joyce ranked among the top ten in several statistical categories within the MIAA, while Knight and Wright also appeared high on conference leaderboards for assists, saves, goals-against average, and shutouts per game.

In preseason polling for the MIAA's upcoming women's soccer campaign, Jennies Soccer received first-place recognition with four first-place votes out of all teams polled.

At home since the start of the 2016 season, Central Missouri has compiled an 89-7-2 record at South Recreation Complex while conceding only 66 goals during that period. Under head coach Lewis Theobald, UCM’s all-time record at this venue stands at 164-17-9.

The team welcomes ten newcomers for the new season: eight freshmen from high school and two transfers—goalkeeper Hannah McFarlane from Pacific and defender Acacia Weis from Lamar University.

In series history against upcoming opponents: Central Missouri has won ten out of eleven previous meetings against Augustana. Against Minnesota State, UCM holds a lead in their all-time matchups but lost to them in double overtime during last year’s NCAA-II Central Regional Championship Match after defeating them earlier in regular-season play.

Head coach Lewis Theobald begins his eighteenth year leading Jennies Soccer. "Lewis Theobald...has transformed the Jennies Soccer program into one of the premier programs not only in the MIAA but also in NCAA Division II." He is recognized as an eleven-time MIAA Coach of the Year and five-time region Coach of the Year with a career record of 308 wins, fifty-one losses, and twenty-seven draws entering this season. "He recorded more wins in his first three seasons than any other coach in school history and is the all-time winningest coach in both Jennies soccer and MIAA women's soccer history." In addition to winning a national championship for UCM during his tenure, he currently holds ".833 winning percentage" among active Division II women’s coaches with over five years’ experience—a figure that places him fifth across all NCAA Divisions among coaches meeting certain longevity criteria.

Theobald has coached numerous decorated athletes including twenty-two All-Americans such as Ashleigh Martin, Andree Orcutt, Lindsay Edmonds, Julia Kristensen, Kassie Newsom—and many others—alongside sixty players earning All-Region honors and more than one hundred forty All-Conference selections over his time with UCM. He is credited with developing award-winning talent across multiple positions including Most Valuable Players Melanie Hall and Kayla Shain as well as National Player of the Year Ana Dilkes during her time as goalkeeper.

A graduate of University of Kansas (1999), Theobald earned his bachelor's degree specializing in physical education.

Looking ahead beyond opening weekend action in Minnesota, Central Missouri will travel to Michigan for games against Ashland (preseason No.16) on September 12th followed by Grand Valley State (preseason No.5) on September 14th.