PITTSBURG – The Pittsburg State University soccer team will end the regular season with a pair of pivotal road matches against the Missouri Southern State University Lions and the University of Central Missouri Jennies this weekend.
 
Pitt State will begin the weekend on Friday (Oct. 23) in Joplin, Mo., against MSSU with a 7:30 p.m. (CT) start time slated for Hal Bodon Field. Sunday (Oct. 25) the Gorillas will travel up to Warrensburg, Mo., to end the regular season in a battle of top three teams within the conference standings to begin the weekend. Kickoff from the South Recreation Complex is set for 1:00 p.m. against UCM.
 
Pittsburg State is the only team that will end their regular season this weekend as every other program will play their final regular season match on Oct. 28.
 
Entering the weekend at 12-0-4 overall and 6-0-4 in the MIAA the Gorillas this season on the road are 4-0-3. With 22 points in the MIAA play, PSU is tied with Washburn entering the weekend for second as Central Missouri with a game in hand is the conference leader with 23 points.
 
As a team, Pitt State this season has scored 32 goals (2.00) and allowed one goal (0.06) while firing off 323 shots (20.2) with 149 being shots on goal (.461) and have taken 138 corner kicks (8.63).
 
Tied atop the team leaderboards for points are Ryann Caruth, Avianna Gonzalez and Danae Hobson with 10 each. Caruth leads the team with four goals, three of which have been game winners. Gonzalez and Hobson have provided four assists and scored three times, with Hobson the team leader for shots on goal with 16. Sammie Edwards leads the team with 34 points and alongside Carrie Cunningham, both have scored three times and provided a pair of assist this season. Mia Hunt (2 G, 3 A), Makenna Herrick (2 G, 1 A), Livi Jones (2 G, 1 A), Macy Malik (2 G, 1 A), Leah Pugliese (2 G), Sarah Peyton Webb (6 A), Shayla Hunt (1 G, 2 A) and Ella Cazzavillan (2 A) are the other members of the team to contribute either multiple goals or assists this season. Jocelyn Kramar in 1327:55 minutes in goal has a 0.07 GAA with 33 saves and played a part in all 15 shutouts this season.
 
Missouri Southern enters the weekend with a 3-7-4 overall record, going 2-4-3 in the MIAA and are 1-2-2 at home this season. With nine points in the MIAA standings the Lions are tied for the eighth and final spot in the MIAA tournament with Rogers State, RSU claimed a 4-0 win over MSSU Sunday (Oct. 18) and both teams have three matches remaining.
 
Sophie Spoonmore leads the team with four goals from a team-high 46 shots, 19 of which where shots on goal and has a pair of game winning goals. Presley Whitmire (3 G, 2 A), Abbi Rosencutter (2 G) and Talia Sanders (2 G) are the other members of the team to score more than once this season. Tied atop the team leaderboards for assists with Whitmire is Daniela Marquez with two. In goal, Millie Robshaw-Charlesworth has started the last five matches and for the season in 520:37 minutes has recorded 36 saves while owning a 1.73 GAA. Bella Smith started the first nine matches of the season and in 739:23 minutes of action has a 1.95 GAA and 44 saves.
 
Historically against MSSU, Pitt State is 2-0-0 with a 1-0 win in 2024 in Pittsburg and a 2-1 win in Joplin, Mo., last season (Nov. 5) in which the Gorillas claimed the MIAA Regular Season title on the last day of the season. Cousins, Mia Hunt (PK, 75:27) and Shayla Hunt (80:44) scored in the match with Ryann Caruth getting the assist on S. Hunt's goal that ended up being the title deciding goal.
 
Central Missouri will begin the weekend with a 12-1-2 overall record, 7-0-2 in the MIAA and 3-0-1 at home this season. The Jennies will begin the weekend with a match against Washburn on Friday (Oct. 23) before playing the Gorillas, Sunday and ending the regular season on Oct. 28 (Wednesday) against MSSU in Joplin. In the latest USC Division II Top 25 Poll (Oct. 20), UCM was No. 19 after being No. 25 in last weeks edition of the poll.
 
Leading the offense this season is Coryn Jespersen with a MIAA leading 12 assists and four goals for 20 points, with three game winning efforts. Mikayla Ernst and Hadley Lockhart have both scored seven times to lead the team with Ernst firing off a team-high 39 shots, 24 of which where shots on goal and claiming three match winners. Ryann Clark (5 G, 1 A), Kylie Richardson (2 G, 2 A), Hannah Borgstadt (2 G, 1 A), Annie Slamin (2 G), Aspen Patterson (4 A) and Maryn Clement (1 G, 3 A) are the other members of the team that have contributed either multiple goals or assists this season. Kristen Wright in 1285:44 minutes in goal has allowed four goals for a 0.28 GAA with 37 saves and played a part in all 11 shutouts for UCM.
 
Against Central Missouri, Pittsburg State is 1-1-0 with the road team claiming the win in each meeting. In 2024 the Jennies claimed a 2-1 win in Pittsburg before the Gorillas claimed a 1-0 win in Warrensburg last season (Nov. 2) thanks to a Carrie Cunnigham goal in the first half.