An own goal in the 62nd minute followed up by header from senior midfielder Ellie Chadwick in the 67th pushed the visiting Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos past the Creighton Women’s Soccer team on Friday night at Morrison Stadium. The crowd of 833 hoped to see the Bluejays extend the nation’s longest non-conference winning streak to 15 games.
Instead they witnessed an admittedly sub-par effort from their Bluejays that the ‘Roos were more than willing to take full advantage of. “I just thought we got outplayed, plain and simple,” said head coach Bruce Erickson. “Credit to UMKC, because they were better in all facets of the game.”
McKynzie Dickman takes a header during the match against UMKC (Spomer/WBR) CLICK TO BUY
Each team tested their opposing keeper a few times in the first half. Creighton net-minder Danielle Rice made two huge saves in the 11th and 19th minute when UMKC strikers got free for shots inside the 18′. Rice deflected both shots to keep the match scoreless. The Kangaroos appeared to get on the board in the 27th minute, but their goal was negated when one of their attackers was ruled offside. The Bluejays picked up the pace in the final 15 minutes of the half, getting several chances from distance off the feet of Alyssa Jara and Angie Benson, but UMKC keeper Nina Tzianos made the proper reads on both shots to keep them the Bluejays off the board and send the match to halftime scoreless.
The scoreless first half marked the first time Creighton had failed to score in a period since the first half of the season-opener at South Dakota State, ending a streak of 13 straight halves with at least one goal. “I thought our shot stat was a little bit misleading,” Erickson said. The Bluejays held an 8-4 edge in shots in the first half, and finished with a 16-13 advantage for the game.
“I thought [UMKC] was more dangerous. I didn’t think a lot of our shots really were. If we score that first goal on [Lauren Sullivan’s] chance and it’s 1-0, we probably get two or three and that maybe is enough to spark us a little bit, but we were just flat. No excuse for it. I don’t know why. We were just not at our best today and got outplayed.”
Despite not being able to find any rhythm offensively, the Bluejays had several chances in the second half to bang home some goals, but failed to capitalize. The first one came in the 58th minute when Sullivan played a ball from about 12-14 yards out, beat her defender going to her right and fired a shot on the UMKC keeper that just barely cleared the cross bar. It was a shot that Sullivan took full responsibility for after the game.
“I should’ve put it away,” she said. “I was talking to Chris [Dunford] about it. It was one of those where you just need to pass it in the goal and I flubbed it. I was definitely down on myself, but that’s when you have to be mentally tough and just get back at it.”
Barely over three minutes later the Kangaroos put a crooked number on the scoreboard after a free kick from the far side almost went it, but Rice was able to get her hands on it after making a late read on the ball. It only stayed out of the net momentarily, however, as a UMKC attacker collided with Bluejay midfielder Stephanie Anasi. As both players hit the turf the ball bounced by Rice after deflecting off of Anasi’s back as she fell. Fellow senior Madelyn Buckner wondered if there should have been a foul on the play.
“I was surprised that there wasn’t a call. I don’t know where the ref was or if he could see what was happening,” Buckner said.
A tough break for the Bluejays turned worse as UMKC struck again less than five minutes later when ‘Roos midfielder Ellie Chadick played a cross from 12 yards out and headed it into the left side of the net past Rice for her second goal of the season and UMKC’s second goal of the game.
Sullivan had a chance in the 78th minute, but drilled the cross bar from 20 yards out, and forward Kirstyn Corder fired a shot right at Tzianos in the 80th minute after playing a pass from Buckner. Those were just a few more example of the Bluejays just missing on some great chances. Enough misses that led to a mounting frustration on the evening for the Creighton attack.
“I feel like it was frustrating the whole game,” Sullivan said. “In the first half we didn’t have the greatest shot selection. We took a couple from super far out that we didn’t need to take. We could have worked it around a little bit better.”
“In a game like that it just comes down to effort,” added Sullivan. “All over the field. Effort in the midfield, effort up top, effort in the defense. Up top we could have finished some chances. We had chances we should have finished, and I think it just comes down to the little things and we didn’t do the little things today.”
Next up for the Bluejays will be a 10:00 a.m. regeneration at Morrison Stadium on Saturday, then a 4:00 p.m. clash with cross-town rival Nebraska-Omaha on Sunday at Caniglia Field–a game that always brings out the best in both teams, and one the Jays are confident will get their best effort after seeing their seven-game winning streak to start the season come to an end.
“At this point you have to take it as fuel,” Buckner said. “We can’t let it get us down. We have to use it to our advantage. It’s a good motivator. Bad things happen, but you have to use it.”