The Northwest Missouri State soccer team drops match to Lindenwood Sunday afternoon, 3-1.

– Northwest falls to 4-12-1 overall and 2-9 in MIAA play. The Lady Lions improve to 9-7-1 and 6-5 in conference action.

– Izzy Romano scored her fourth goal of the season in the 80th minute to tie the game.

– This concludes the 2016 regular season for the Bearcats.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Ashley Malloy with four saves on the afternoon.

– Lindenwood had seven shots on goal to the Bearcats’ four.

– Northwest earned three corners on the afternoon to the Lady Lions two.

– Lindenwood was called for five offsides. The Bearcats with just four offsides call.

– The Lady Lions were whistled for 17 fouls with Northwest being called 16 times.

– Izzy Romano had a team high three shots on the afternoon.

– Danielle Wolfe, Ashley Cole, Jessica Breyfoggle and Cassie Phillips all added shots for the Bearcats.

Key Northwest Sequence
– In the 80th minute, Izzy Romano dibbled past a defender before firing a low shot towards the left post. Her shot found the back of the net to equalize
the score.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team fell to Washburn University, 3-0, on Friday evening at Lee Arena in Topeka, Kan.

The loss drops the No. 16 Bearcats to 21-3 overall and 9-3 in MIAA play. The No. 14 ranked Ichabods improve to 21-5 and 11-2 in conference action.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Washburn took all three sets, winning by scores of 25-12, 25-19 and 25-13.

– Maddy Bruder had seven kills and 10 digs for the Bearcats. She also had a block.

– Olivia Nowakowski had a team-best 14 digs with two assists.

– Sarah Dannettell had 18 assists, six digs, three kills and a block.

– Jackie Becker had five kills and one block.

– Miranda Foster also had five kills with nine total digs.

Key Northwest Sequence
– After dropping the first set, Northwest responded with a three-point run to open the second set. After a Washburn service error, the Bearcat defense forced an attacking error to make it 2-0. Bruder put away a kill off an assist from Dannettell to put Northwest up 3-0.

Up Next
– The Bearcats will head to Emporia, Kan., for a 7 p.m. match on Saturday evening against the Hornets.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State soccer team falls to Washburn in Sunday’s Senior Day match, 2-­0.

Northwest falls to 4-­10-­1 overall and 2-­7 in MIAA play. The Ichabods improve to 9-­6-­1 and 5­-4 in conference action.

The three Bearcat soccer seniors, Jessica Breyfogle, Ashley Cole and Cassie Phillips, were honored at halftime.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Ashley Malloy with two saves on the afternoon.

– Washburn had four shots on goal to the Bearcats’ 10.

– Northwest earned two corners on the afternoon to the Ichabods five.

– Washburn was called for two offsides. The Bearcats with just one offsides call.

– The Ichabods were whistled for 18 fouls with Northwest being called 16 times.

– Izzy Romano had a team high seven shots on the afternoon.

Key Northwest Sequence
– In the seventh minute, Rachel Roshek sent a cross to the far post. Jessica Breyfogle connected with the pass for a header that was saved by the diving Washburn goal keeper.

– In the 33rd minute, Ashley Cole flicked the ball past a defender to Danielle Wolfe who chipped the ball over the goal keeper but was saved off the line by a Washburn defender.

Up Next
– The Bearcats will hit the road for a 6 p.m. road match at Missouri Western on Friday, Oct. 29, in St. Joseph, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team swept Southwest Baptist, 3-0, on Friday evening at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo.

– The win moves No. 17 ranked Northwest to 20-2 overall and 8-2 in MIAA play. SBU falls to 3-21 on the year and 0-10 in conference action.

– Seniors Jackie Becker and Miranda Foster each had a match-high 10 kills on the evening.

– Sarah Dannettell had 33 assists, four digs, four kills and a block.

– The Bearcats hit .316 for the match, committing just 12 attacking errors.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest won by scores of 25-16, 25-22 and 25-14.

– Becker hit .438 for the match while Foster hit .409. Foster also had a match-high 14 digs with a pair of assists and a block.

– Alexis Williams had five total blocks to go along with five kills. She hit .625 for the match with no errors.

– Maddy Bruder had 11 digs with eight kills. She had two blocks, a service ace and an assist.

– Olivia Nowakowski had 12 digs for the match with four assists and a pair of service aces.

Key Northwest Sequences
– Already up by two sets, Northwest took any doubt of the outcome of the match in the start of the third set. After giving up an ace on the opening point, Northwest rallied to win 17 of the next 21 points, going up 17-5. During the rally, Northwest got three kills from Darcy Sunderman, Foster, Becker, Williams and three from Bruder. Williams added three blocks and Sunderman had two as well. Northwest also had three service aces.

Up Next
– Northwest will host Missouri Southern on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 3 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University soccer team fell to Emporia State, 1-0, on Friday afternoon at Bearcat Pitch in Maryville, Mo.

– Northwest falls to 4-9-1 overall and 2-6 in MIAA play. The Hornets move to 6-7-2 overall and 4-4 in conference action.

– Bearcat freshman Izzy Romano had a match-high five shots, four coming on goal.

– Emporia State scored in the 37th minute for the game’s lone goal

– Ashley Malloy made four saves for Northwest in goal.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats took 10 shots to Emporia State’s nine total shots.

– The Hornets had seven corner kicks to Northwest’s six. The Bearcats were whistled for nine fouls while Emporia State was called 10 times.

– Payton McGee and Malloy each had shots on goal for Northwest.

– Rachel Roshek, Cassie Phillips and Gloria Hanrahan also recorded shots for the Bearcats.

– ESU’s Yadira Rivera made six saves.

Key Northwest Sequence
– In the 22nd minute, Romano earned a free kick just outside the ESU box after being pulled down. Romano lined up the shot and hit a low line drive that took a deflection off the wall. The ball kicked to the right and the Hornet keeper had to make a diving save to her left to keep the game scoreless.

Up Next
– Northwest will host Washburn on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 12:30 p.m. at Bearcat Pitch. Sunday will be Senior Day.

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team was ranked eighth in the 2016-17 Division II Bulletin’s top-25 preseason poll. The Bearcats were the MIAA’s only representative on the poll. Nebraska-Kearney was listed as a team to watch. Junior Justin Pitts was named a Central Region Super 16 Selection by the publication.

On Wednesday, Northwest was ranked first in the MIAA preseason coaches poll. The Bearcats begin the 2016-17 season on Friday, Nov. 11, against Upper Iowa in St. Joseph, Mo., at 3 p.m. The first home action for Northwest will be on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m., against defending national champion Augustana University.

Northwest returns four starters off last year’s team that went 27-6 overall and 19-3 in MIAA play. The Bearcats captured both the regular season and conference tournament titles, advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 round for the third consecutive year. Pitts is the reigning MIAA Player of the Year and coach Ben McCollum was named MIAA Coach of the Year. Senior Zach Schneider earned All-MIAA third team honors while Chris-Ebou Ndow was an honorable mention performer.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University soccer team came up short against Central Oklahoma, 3-0, on Sunday at Bearcat Pitch in Maryville, Mo.

– Northwest falls to 4-8-1 on the year and 2-5 in MIAA play. The Broncos improve to 10-3-1 overall and 6-1 in conference action.

– Brooke McCluskey in her first collegiate start had nine saves for the match.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Broncos had 22 shots, with 12 on frame. Northwest had 13 shots, three coming on goal.

– Central Oklahoma scored in the 22nd, 31st and 80th minutes.

– Northwest earned two corner kicks on the afternoon while the Broncos had six.

– Izzy Romano had a team high four shots on the day, two coming on goal.

– Ashley Cole, Rachel Roshek, Cassie Phillips, Annie Poelzl, Elizabeth Finn and Danielle Wolfe added shots on the afternoon.

– The Broncos were whistled for 19 fouls while the Bearcats were called for nine.

Up Next
– Northwest will face Emporia State at 3:00 p.m. on Bearcat Pitch on Friday, Oct. 21.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. – In a five-set thriller that took nearly 2 ½ hours to complete, the Northwest Missouri State volleyball team came up just a couple points shy of knocking off No. 15 Washburn Friday evening at Bearcat Arena.

When senior Miranda Foster’s kill attempt landed just outside the inbound line, the match ended with Northwest falling 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-13.

“That is always a disappointing moment,” said Foster, who finished with 19 kills. “But I think overall, we really fought. It doesn’t come down to that one point. It comes down to stringing more points together. I thought we did really well fighting. We left a lot of heart out there.”

The loss dropped the No. 17 Bearcats to 18-2 overall and 6-2 in the MIAA. Washburn improved to 18-4 and 8-1 and remains in first place.

Despite the outcome, there was nothing heartbreaking for the Bearcats. They fought from behind throughout the evening, pushing one of the perennial powers in the MIAA to make clutch plays in the final set.

“I think what we can take away from this match is how hard we fought,” said junior Sarah Dannettell, who had a match-high 57 assists. “Obviously, fighting that hard and not getting the win is tough. Our coach always says that if you leave everything on the court and you don’t get the result you want, that is all you can do.

“Our team can walk away from this game and say we left it all out on the court. It happens it didn’t fall in our favor tonight.”

Beyond any doubt, Northwest proved it can play with the very best in the MIAA. Now the Bearcats turn their attention to Emporia State. Northwest will face the Hornets at 6 p.m. Saturday at Bearcat Arena.

“I think tomorrow is going to be a battle,” Northwest coach Amy Woerth said. “Emporia is a good team. They went five with Washburn. They have good middles. It is going to come down to serve and pass and offensive performance. I just want our girls to continue to give the effort they gave tonight.”

The first two sets Friday night dripped with edge-of-your-seat drama. The matched opened with Washburn scoring the first two points. It would be the biggest lead by either team in the entire first set.

“I knew it was going to be a battle,” Woerth said. “I kept emphasizing we got to go win this battle. Anytime you have Washburn in your gym, they are not going to go down without a fight.”

Northwest went ahead 14-13 on a kill by Foster. The Bearcats held the lead until Wasburn pushed back in front 19-18. With the set tied at 21-21, Washburn scored the next points and that would prove to be the difference.

The second set was the exact opposite with a couple of wild swings in momentum. Northwest opened an early 6-2 lead and then watched Washburn score the next four points.

Leading 9-8, the Bearcats took command of the set, scoring seven of the next 10 points for a 16-11 lead. Seemingly in control, the Bearcats lost their rhythm. Washburn scored nine of the next 10 points for a 20-17 lead.

Northwest was on the brink of falling behind two sets to none when Bruder and Foster came up with big shots to help the Bearcats close to 20-19. Most importantly, the points changed momentum.

The Bearcats tied the match at 21-21 on a kill by Bruder, who finished with a team-high 28 kills. Northwest went ahead 22-21 on a kill by Foster and increased the lead to 23-21 on a block by Foster. Leading 24-23, Northwest won the next set point on a block by Dannettell and Alexis Williams.

“Going down 0-2 is never an ideal situation in a match,” Dannettell said. “Honestly, in my perspective, I think winning the second set is almost more important than winning the first set. That is how the rest of the game is going to look like. It was nice going out and fighting hard for the second game.”

Northwest played from behind most of the third set and when the deficit slipped to 18-14, it was a bit too much for the Bearcats to overcome. Still, Northwest kept battling and even tied the set at 23-23 on a nice serve by Olivia Nowakowski that Washburn was unable to return. The Ichabods buckled down and won the next two points and took a 2-1 lead.

Undaunted by being down a set again, Northwest calmly executed in the fourth set despite an early 11-8 deficit. The Bearcats moved ahead 15-14 on a kill by junior Taylor Linenberger. Northwest quickly increased its lead to 18-14 and used that cushion to take the fourth set 25-22.

“We knew we would contend with them,” Foster said. “It is always encouraging to know that we were that close. They are a very good team. We are going to keep working hard and those will fall in the end.”

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University soccer team fell to Northeastern State, 4-1, on Friday at Bearcat Pitch in Maryville, Mo.

– Northwest falls to 4-7-1 on the year and 2-4 in MIAA play. The No. 21 ranked RiverHawks improve to 12-1 overall and 4-1 in conference action.

– The Bearcats got a goal from senior Cassie Phillips in the 65th minute off a corner kick by Izzy Romano.

– After falling behind in the first half, Northwest held the RiverHawks scoreless in the second.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The RiverHawks held a 17-9 advantage in shots but tallied only six on goal. Northwest had nine shots, four coming on goal.

– Northeastern State scored in the sixth, 22nd, 36th and 39th minutes.

– Northwest earned five corner kicks on the afternoon while the RiverHawks had six.

– Romano had three shots on the day, one coming on goal.

– Phillips, Abbi Brown and Rachel Roshek also recorded shots on goal for the Bearcats.

– Ashley Cole had two shots on the afternoon and Hannah Goetz had one shot.

– Brooke McCluskey made her Bearcat debut, making two saves with no goals allowed in almost 50 minutes of action.

Key Northwest Sequence
– Trailing midway through the second half, Northwest lined up for a corner kick in the 65th minute. Romano sent a curling ball in that found Phillips in the middle of the goal. Phillips timed her jump and headed the ball into the back of the net for her third goal of the year.

Up Next
– Northwest will face Central Oklahoma at 12:30 p.m. on Bearcat Pitch on Sunday, Oct. 16.

— Northwest Athletics —