Women's Soccer Leads Throughout in Win Over No. 12 John Brown

Siloam Springs, Ark., (Sept. 5, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College women's soccer team traveled to Siloam Springs, Ark., for a match with No. 12 John Brown (Ark.), Thursday evening.  The Vikings scored a pair of early goals in the game, and finished out a 3-2 victory.

The game started with Missouri Valley creating the better chances through much of play.  Three-straight corner kicks were earned over a two-minute span, with the third kick resulting in a goal scored from Junior Midfielder Madi Hudson (Sandbach, England) to put MVC on top, 1-0, with ten minutes played.  Just over three minutes later, Freshman Defender Lucia Torres Vizcain (Malaga, Spain) sent a long pass behind the John Brown defenders that found Senior Forward Ashley Arribas (Lake Forest, Calif.).  Arribas put her shot into goal, and extended the advantage to 2-0.  Sophomore Goalkeeper Marina Barbara Bujalance (Cornella Llobregat, Spain) came up with her first save of a JBU shot on goal near the 27-minute mark.  Five minutes later, a Viking defender was called for a foul in the team's box, which resulted in a penalty kick.  John Brown took advantage of the opportunity, and cut its deficit to 2-1 with less than 13-minutes to play before the break.  Both teams struggled to create chances through the remaining time in the half, and Missouri Valley went into halftime with the one-goal advantage.

Play in the second half began with an early chance for the Vikings, as Junior Forward Marlene Flores (Bolivia) set up Arribas at the top of the JBU box.  The shot from Arribas hit the crossbar, and went into the net to make it a 3-1 score with just over two minutes off the clock.  John Brown followed with the better of possession over the next stretch, and put three shots on goal through the 56-minute mark, but Barbara Bujalance saved all three attempts.  Missouri Valley came close to extending the lead with 20-minutes played in the half, when a long-range attempt from Junior Forward Silvia Maldonado (Madrid, Spain) hit off the post and away from goal.  The two teams traded possession through the rest of play.  Junior Defender Marta Carrasco Mesa (Sevilla, Spain) had a shot saved near the 77-minute mark, while Barbara Bujalance saved a JBU shot five minutes later.  With less than five minutes remaining in the contest, both teams put shots on goal.  The first came from Carrasco Mesa, which was saved, while John Brown found a second goal in the final minutes to cut the team's deficit to 3-2.  Barbara Bujalance was called on for one more save with just over one minute to play to preserve the lead, and the Vikings eventually finished out a 3-2 victory.

Arribas led with two goals, while Hudson added one goal.  Arribas now has four goals on the season, and recorded her first game-winning goal, while Hudson registered her opening goal of the season.  Torres Vizcaino and Flores each had one assist.  Barbara Bujalance made six saves.  The Vikings finished with nine shots, and held a 4-3 edge in corner kicks.

Missouri Valley improves to 3-2, while John Brown drops to 2-2.

Up next, the Viking women's soccer team stays in Siloam Springs, Ark., for a neutral-site contest with No. 21 Oklahoma Wesleyan, Saturday at 5 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.

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