University of St. Thomas Athletics
Kansas City
Women's Soccer back on the road with tests against Kansas City and Oral Roberts
10/4/2023 6:32:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Tommies will play two of their final three road games this Thursday and Sunday.
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The St. Thomas Women's Soccer Team (2-4-4 overall 0-2-1 Summit) goes back on the road for a two-game stretch against Summit League opponents Kansas City (1-4-7, 0-1-2) and Oral Roberts (5-4-3, 1-1-1) as they seek to get their first Summit League victory of the season.
The Tommies were unable to come away with a victory in their first two Summit League matches at home but were able to take North Dakota State to a 0-0 tie after the 1-2 loss to Denver. They have scored 8 goals in four games at home and seven goals in six games on the road.
As for their opponents, the Kansas City Roos find themselves in seventh place in the conference with a recent loss to Oral Roberts 2-5. The Golden Eagles have three Summit League games under their belts and looked strong in their last two, with a 2-1 and 5-2 victory against Omaha and Kansas City, respectively.
St. Thomas is 0-1-1 against Kansas City with a 1-2 loss away in 2021 and 1-1 draw on at home in 2022, Ellie Tempero and McKenna Lehman each have a goal against the Roos.
The Purple are 1-1 in two close games against Oral Roberts with a 1-2 loss in Tulsa in 2021 and a 2-1 victory last season at home. All three goals were scored by different Toms, McKenna Lehman, Mariah Nguyen, and Abby Brantner.
Be sure to follow along for live streams and stats through links found at tommiesports.com/sports/wsoc/schedule – and on Twitter and Instagram at @TommieWSoccer.
North Dakota State Game Recap
Women's Soccer ended in a draw against North Dakota State on a sunny 90-degree day with the final being 0-0 at home. Olivia Rowe had a stellar performance with nine saves against the Bison attack, with 4 of them coming in the last 15 minutes.
St Thomas forward Jasmine Gates had almost given the Tommies the lead in the second half with a shot off the crossbar.
Ellie Tempero and Kendall Quall both had strong games to help the game stay scoreless by making a multitude of stout defensive stands.
Scouting the Roos
The Roos have been one of the best defensive teams in the Summit League in 2023 coming into play with the Tommies at 1-4-7 overall and 0-1-2 in the Summit League. They have allowed one or fewer goals in eight of their 12 games.
At one point from September 3 to September 24 the Roos tied with their opponents in six straight matchups that included a scoreless tie with South Dakota and a three-to-three shootout against Tulsa.
At the helm is four-year head coach, Jess Smith. In her time at Kansas City the Roos are 13-30-13.
Offensively they are led by sophomore Brianna Castleberry with her four goals and one assist. Castlberry is coming off a two-goal game against the Tommies' Sunday opponent, Oral Roberts.
Riley Moore has been between the posts for the Roos making all 12 starts this season. She has given up 23 goals on 145 shots faced for a 1.94 goals against average and .709 save percentage. She has also made 56 saves.
Scouting the Golden Eagles
The Golden Eagles have gotten out to a great start in conference play with a 2-1 record to go along with their 5-4-3 record overall. They have one four of their last five matchups, outscoring opponents 13 to five.
Austin Risenhoover is in his first season for Oral Roberts. His last stop was as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Cal.
Offensively they are led by Abbey Gabrielle, a graduate student from Norman, Okla. She has scored nine points this season, five of them have come in ORU's last four games.
The goalkeeping duties have been primarily headed by sophomore Alexa Riefer. She has started in 10 of 12 games for the Golden Eagles to the tune of a 1.90 goals against average and a .716 save percentage. She has allowed 19 goals to 48 saves on 138 shots faced.
