Fayette, Mo. – The Central Methodist women's soccer team is set to due battle against rival Missouri Valley College for the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Saturday, April 10 at 8:00 p.m. on Davis Field.
As part of Saturday's championship match, CMU Athletics' will be hosting a whiteout game, and fans are encouraged to wear white. The CMU staff will also be distributing a select amount of "Banners Are Earned Not Given" shirts to CMU students between the men's semifinal game against Mount Mercy and the women's championship at the front gate.
Central is currently ranked No. 8 in the NAIA with a 17-3 record while the Vikings sit in the No. 23 spot with a 12-6 mark.
Both teams squared off in their lone regular-season match back on Oct. 28. The game was a thriller that finished with CMU pulling out the 1-0 win with nine seconds left in double overtime. The goal came from Freshman Aina Cantero, who scored an impressive free kick in the upper left corner of the net for the golden goal. Central would finish the fall with a 10-2 mark in conference play, claiming their second-straight conference championship and third in the last four years.
So far this season, Central has defeated five ranked opponents, including No. 5 Marian, No. 12 Oklahoma Wesleyan, No. 14 Grace, No. 23 Missouri Valley, and (RV) Benedictine. In the Heart tournament, CMU defeated Grand View in the quarterfinals 1-0 and Benedictine in the semis by a final score of 2-1.
CMU currently leads the NAIA in total assists (79) and total goals (99). Central has already surpassed their highest-scoring season ever by three goals in just 20 games (2019 – 96 goals). Central is also in the Top 10 in five other national statistical categories.
The Vikings have defeated No. 19 Baker and (RV) Benedictine, and dropped games to No. 5 Marian, No. 12 Oklahoma Wesleyan, and No. 13 Columbia College. In the Heart Tournament, the Vikings defeated Clarke by a final score of 5-0 in the quarters and defeated Baker by a score of 2-0 in the semifinals. With the victory in the semis, MVC clinched the second automatic berth from the Heart into the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship. This marks just the second National Championship appearance in program history. The first was in 1991 when the Vikings finished as National runner-up.
Central enters Saturday's matchup on a three-game winning streak over the Vikings, with their last loss coming on Oct. 25, 2017.
Tickets for the championship match can be reserved at https://www.cmueagles.com/fan_zone/tickets. CMU students, faculty, and staff can access tickets using their CMU ID. For parents of CMU soccer student-athletes, please use the student-athlete's CMU ID to purchase tickets. Missouri Valley fans must contact Head Coach Drew Hawkins for information on how to access tickets.
Fans not in attendance can watch the match live on the Heart Conference Network, or follow along with live stats.
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