No. 9 Women's Soccer Builds Lead, Tops Benedictine at Home

Marshall, Mo., (Sept. 9, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's soccer teams hosted Benedictine (Kan.) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium, Tuesday evening.  The No. 9 women's team built up a lead and earned a 3-1 win, while the No. 14 men's team suffered a defeat.

Play in the women's game started with Benedictine creating two early chances, coming with just over six minutes played.  Junior Goalkeeper Lola Martinez Benitez (Madrid, Spain) made two saves in quick succession to keep the game scoreless.  The first quality chance for Missouri Valley came two minutes later, as a shot from Senior Midfielder Judit Ferre (Barcelona, Spain) was saved.  Nine minutes later, Senior Defender Zoe Christofaro (Tucson, Ariz.) tested the BC keeper, the attempt was kept out of goal.  With just over 26-minutes played in the contest, Senior Defender Daijah White (Tucson, Ariz.) sent a long-range shot off the crossbar, and the deflection was collected by Senior Forward Marlene Flores (Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia).  Flores sent a header from the top of the box over the Raven keeper and into goal to give MVC a 1-0 lead.  Benedictine came back five minutes later with an attempt to even score, but Martinez Benitez made another save.  The Vikings followed with two chances on goal.  The first game near the 35-minute mark, as the shot from Sophomore Forward Katarina Simic (Marshall, Mo.) was saved.  Three minutes later, Senior Forward Ashley Arribas (Lake Forest, Calif.) had a shot saved.  Simic put a shot off the post with less than six minutes remaining in the half, and Martinez Benitez made a late save to send Missouri Valley into halftime on top, 1-0.

The two teams traded possession through a stretch of play to begin the second half.  The first quality chance came nearly 20-minutes into play, as a shot from Senior Midfielder Carla Carmona (Barcelona, Spain) was saved.  The Vikings came back moments later with a series of shots in the BC box, which were blocked.  A deflection eventually came to Senior Defender Marta Carrasco Mesa (Sevilla, Spain) who put a close shot into goal, and stretched the advantage to 2-0.  Three minutes later, the advantage grew once again, as Carrasco Mesa set up Ferre with a shot at the top of the box to make it a 3-0 lead midway through the half.  Only one more attempt on goal was created in the final 16-minutes of play, and Benedictine cut its deficit down, but Missouri Valley eventually finished out a 3-1 victory.

Ferre scored her third goal and first game-winning goal of the season, while Carrasco Mesa added her first goal and first assist.  Flores scored her first goal, and White came up with her first assist.  Martinez Benitez made four saves.  Missouri Valley held a 20-7 advantage in total shots and a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.

The win puts Missouri Valley at 3-0-2 overall and 1-0 in the Heart.  Benedictine falls to 4-2 on the season and 1-1 in the conference.

Play in the men's game started with the two teams trading possession early.  The first chance on goal came with 12-minutes played, as the shot from Senior Forward Shiko Kiyomiya (Tokyo, Japan) was saved.  Senior Goalkeeper Vicente Benitez Delgado (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) was called on for two saves over the next stretch, making his second save near the 27-minute mark to keep the game scoreless.  Benitez Delgado made another save, seven minutes later, and the two teams struggled to create chances in the final minutes of the half.  The game went into halftime scoreless.

Benedictine opened the second half with the game's first goal, scoring just over eight minutes after the restart.  The Ravens kept up pressure, and added a second goal four minutes later, then made it a 3-0 score with nearly 15-minutes played.  One more goal came for BC in the half, and the Vikings were unable to work down their deficit as the final score ended at 4-0.

Benitez Delgado made three saves in goal.  Missouri Valley had seven shots, including two shots on goal, and created seven corner kicks.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 1-2-1 overall and 0-1 in the Heart.  Benedictine improves to 5-0-1 on the season and 2-0 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking soccer teams travel to Dubuque, Iowa, for a Heart doubleheader with Clarke (Iowa), Saturday.  Women's game at 1 p.m., followed by the men's game at 3:30 p.m.

Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.