Box Score | Season Stats
KIRKSVILLE - - Kelsey Twellman, Olivia Hayes and Trisha Shoemaker provided first-half goals, and the Truman defense maintained its recent dominance by posting its fourth consecutive shutout as the Bulldog women's soccer team blanked visiting Washburn, 3-0, on Thursday afternoon.
The onslaught began early for the conference-leading Bulldogs (7-4-2, 5-0 MIAA), as Truman put six shots on frame in the first six minutes, culminating with a header rebound tally by Twellman (St. Louis, Mo., Incarnate Word Academy) for her fifth goal of the season. Then, in the 26th minute, Washburn (1-11-2, 1-4-1 MIAA) committed a foul inside the 18-yard box, leading to Hayes (Clayton, Mo., Clayton)' fourth goal of the season on a penalty kick.
Shoemaker (Pleasant Valley, Iowa, Pleasant Valley) gave the team one last blast just five minutes later, taking the ball on her own side of midfield and dribbling uncontested past the Lady Blues defense before sliding a shot past WU keeper Mallorie Monhollon for a 3-0 Truman lead.
The 'Dogs then preserved the lead throughout the second half, building a 24-6 edge in total shots and allowing head coach Mike Cannon to use 23 players in the match. Goalkeepers Jayne Grisham (Bridgeton, Mo., Ursuline Academy) and Emily Bozdeck (St. Louis, Mo., Lindbergh) split time in net, with Bozdeck making the team's lone save during the second half.
With the win, Truman clinches a berth into the MIAA six-team postseason tournament, held Nov. 3-6 in Kansas City. The Bulldogs will travel to Emporia State for its final regular season road match this Sunday (Oct. 16) at 12 pm.
