JILL-SILLINA MEWS
mewsj2@lopers.unk.edu

The Lopers (2-7-7, 1-3-5) beat the Northeastern State University (11-4-1, 6-3) at home for the second straight season on Friday and tied Rogers State University (5-6-5, 2-3-4) on Sunday. UNK now has eight league points and moved into 9th place in the MIAA standings. 

“We played very hard and we left our hearts out there,” said freshman defende Raegan Downham. 

Against the Riverhawks on Friday the Lopers were full of energy and self-confidence right from the get-go. UNK’s defense made key plays throughout the match to prevent the NSU attack from scoring. The Lopers dominated on offense which paid off in the 39th minute. Freshman Isabella Whiston blasted a shot with her left foot into the upper left corner from about 18 yards out and recorded UNK’s second home goal of the season. The Lopers maintained their defensive composure to finish the game with a 1-0 victory and secure the first home win since October 2018. 

“It was a great game,” said Chloe Roberts, UNK women’s soccer coach. “We played the No. 2 team in the MIAA and got that 1-0 win.”

The game against Rogers State University on Sunday was very physical. The Lopers and the Hillcats fought hard for every ball but neither team was able to get on the scoreboard before the 90th minute, which resulted in overtime. UNK continued to press forward but could not find the back of the net. Overall, the Lopers recorded 18 shots, which was not good enough for the win as UNK’s final home game ended in a scoreless tie at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field.

UNK’s last regular-season games are at Fort Hays State (8-4-2, 4-2-2) at 7 p.m. Friday and Emporia State (10-4-2, 5-2-2) at 2 p.m. Sunday. The Lopers currently trail Rogers State and Washburn by two points for the final tournament spot.