KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - Truman State Athletics opened the fall season with eight contests across four sports from Thursday, Aug. 27, through Saturday, Aug. 29, as Student and Community Appreciation Week welcomed fans back for home soccer and football action. Football scored twice in the fourth quarter before falling 27-21 to Washburn, while volleyball capped its four-match trip to the Fort Hays State Tournament with a five-set victory over Regis after dropping its first three matches. Women's soccer earned a 1-1 draw against Davenport before falling 4-0 to Purdue Northwest, and men's soccer dropped a 3-2 decision to St. Cloud State.
Football
Washburn 27, Truman 21 | Saturday, Aug. 29
Truman scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to cut a 20-point deficit to six, but Washburn held on for a 27-21 victory Saturday night before 2,800 fans at Stokes Stadium during Student and Community Appreciation Day. Dylan Hair connected with Adam Hall for a 27-yard touchdown to give Truman a 7-0 first-quarter lead. Washburn answered with 17 points in the second quarter, taking a 17-7 advantage into halftime before extending its lead with a third-quarter touchdown and a field goal early in the fourth.
Trailing 27-7, the Bulldogs put together a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Hair finding Vance Herring for an 11-yard touchdown with 8:05 remaining. Truman's defense then stopped Washburn on fourth down at the Bulldog 18-yard line, giving the offense another opportunity. Hair led an 82-yard drive over 12 plays and connected with Nathan Ryan for a four-yard touchdown with 1:40 left. Diego Perez's extra point brought Truman within 27-21, but the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, and Washburn ran out the remaining time.
Hair completed 22 of 29 passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, distributing completions to eight receivers. Jackson Overton led Truman with 68 receiving yards on six catches, while Ryan caught seven passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. Jalen Kent added 64 yards on two receptions, including a 51-yard catch, and Herring finished with three catches for 50 yards and a score. Madden Irving led the rushing attack with 49 yards on 10 carries. Defensively, Jack Weltha and Connor Beerman each recorded eight tackles, followed by Elijah Fry and Alijah Jackman with seven apiece. Bryant Pool contributed a sack and two tackles for loss. Truman finished with 385 yards of total offense to Washburn's 446, but two lost fumbles and a missed field goal ended scoring opportunities.
Volleyball
Fort Hays State 3, Truman 1 | Thursday, Aug. 27
Truman won the opening set of its season before host Fort Hays State rallied for a four-set victory Thursday in Hays, Kansas. The Bulldogs took the first set 25-22, but the Tigers answered with wins of 25-22, 25-20 and 25-13. Truman remained within striking distance through the middle sets before Fort Hays State pulled away in the fourth, finishing the match with 64 kills and a .273 hitting percentage.
Laci Neece led Truman with 17 kills and added nine digs, while Jessie Julius recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs. Tori Creason also posted a double-double, distributing 39 assists and collecting 12 digs. Addy Janssen led the back row with 19 digs, and freshman Avery Poppe contributed 11 in her collegiate debut. Autumn Erickson added eight kills, four blocks and two service aces.
Midwestern State 3, Truman 0 | Friday, Aug. 28
The Bulldogs opened Friday's doubleheader with a 27-25, 25-19, 25-18 loss to Midwestern State. Truman led the opening set 23-19 and later held a set point at 24-23, but the Mustangs worked back into the lead. A Julius kill tied the set at 25 before Midwestern State claimed the final two points. The Mustangs carried that advantage through the next two sets, recording 57 kills and hitting .305 for the match.
Julius paced Truman with eight kills, followed by Lily Porter with six and Neece with five. Elise Gibson contributed four kills without an attack error in 10 attempts, while Erickson and Hannah Hosty also finished with four kills apiece. Creason recorded 21 assists and eight digs, and Janssen collected a team-high 17 digs. Truman hit .228 with only eight attack errors, but Midwestern State's three double-digit hitters helped the Mustangs complete the sweep.
Eastern New Mexico 3, Truman 1 | Friday, Aug. 28
Truman extended its second match Friday to four sets before Eastern New Mexico held off a late Bulldog rally for a 25-18, 25-16, 22-25, 26-24 victory. After dropping the first two sets, Truman took the third and pushed toward a deciding fifth. The Bulldogs held a 24-22 lead in the fourth, but the Greyhounds scored four consecutive points to close the match.
Porter led Truman with nine kills and added five blocks, while Ella Diercks contributed seven kills and three blocks. Erickson anchored the front row with nine blocks, including eight block assists, as Truman finished with 16 team blocks. Creason recorded 18 assists, 14 digs, four blocks and two aces, while Janssen led the Bulldogs with 21 digs. Eastern New Mexico countered with 21 kills from Sophia Valdez and 12 service aces as a team.
Truman 3, Regis 2 | Saturday, Aug. 29
Truman earned its first victory of the season Saturday morning, outlasting Regis 25-27, 25-19, 25-16, 22-25, 15-13 to finish the tournament 1-3. The Bulldogs responded to a narrow opening-set loss by winning the next two before Regis forced a fifth set. Truman built an 11-4 lead in the deciding set, then withstood a Regis rally that cut the margin to 14-13. Neece delivered the winning kill off an assist from Creason to secure the match.
Neece finished with 22 kills and just three attack errors on 46 swings, hitting .413. Porter added 16 kills, while Hosty and Julius contributed 10 apiece. Hosty hit .438, and Julius added 17 digs for a double-double. Creason directed the offense with 56 assists while also leading Truman with 23 digs. Janssen contributed 15 digs, and Erickson added eight kills and five blocks. The Bulldogs totaled 69 kills and hit .263 in the victory.
Women's Soccer
Truman 1, Davenport 1 | Thursday, Aug. 27
Lia Quintero scored Truman's first goal of the season, but Davenport answered less than a minute later as the teams played to a 1-1 draw Thursday. Following a scoreless first half, the Bulldogs generated 11 shots after intermission and broke through at 77:36 when Quintero scored off an assist from Madison Blomenkamp. Davenport responded 50 seconds later, with Reegan Dunn finishing an assist from Audrey Muterspaugh to tie the match.
Siman Loethen made 10 saves while playing all 90 minutes in goal, and Truman also received a team save to help withstand Davenport's 20-shot attack. Quintero led the Bulldogs with four shots, while Sam Busch added two and Quinn Nauman recorded one. Truman finished with 12 shots, including three on goal, after being limited to one attempt during the opening half.
Purdue Northwest 4, Truman 0 | Saturday, Aug. 29
Purdue Northwest scored three times in the opening 25 minutes and defeated Truman 4-0 Saturday at Bulldog Soccer Park. Sophia Carbone opened the scoring at 4:47, followed by Mia Davis at 12:39 and Nayla Pena at 24:59. The visitors carried that 3-0 advantage into halftime before Sarah Scaling added the final goal at 49:27.
Truman recorded six shots, with Nauman, Hanna Ritter, Quintero and Mackenzie Wright each putting an attempt on goal. Loethen made six saves in 52:57 before Mikayla Thomas entered and held Purdue Northwest scoreless over the final 37:03. The visitors finished with 18 shots, including 10 on goal, as the Bulldogs concluded the opening weekend with a 0-1-1 record.
Men's Soccer
St. Cloud State 3, Truman 2 | Thursday, Aug. 27
Jacob Panagos scored twice to put Truman in front during the second half, but St. Cloud State rallied for a 3-2 victory Thursday night at Stokes Stadium. After a scoreless first half, Andrés García gave the Huskies the lead at 46:48. Panagos answered with an unassisted goal at 54:20, then scored again off an assist from Slayton Spencer at 65:51 to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 advantage.
García tied the match at 74:36 before completing his hat trick with a penalty kick at 87:04, leaving Truman less than three minutes to respond. The Bulldogs finished with a 16-8 advantage in shots and an 8-1 edge in corner kicks, including 12 shots during the second half. Panagos led Truman with three attempts, while Tyler Bouckaert, Nolan Schulte and Roman Scognamillo each recorded two. Owen Robben made three saves in goal.
Coming Up This Week
Football: The Bulldogs travel to Davenport on Saturday, Sept. 5, for a noon kickoff in Kent County, Michigan. Truman's next home game is Saturday, Sept. 12, at noon against Northeastern State for the Hall of Fame Game at Stokes Stadium. Full football schedule.
Volleyball: Truman heads back to Kansas for four matches at the Pittsburg State Tournament. The Bulldogs face host Pittsburg State on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m., followed by Southwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 11:30 a.m. The tournament concludes Friday, Sept. 4, with matches against Arkansas Tech at 9 a.m. and Missouri Southern at 4:30 p.m. Full volleyball schedule.
Women's Soccer: The Bulldogs continue their homestand against Harris-Stowe State on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 3 p.m., then open Great Lakes Valley Conference play against Drury on Saturday, Sept. 5, at noon. Both matches will be played at Bulldog Soccer Park. Full women's soccer schedule.
Men's Soccer: Truman hosts Hannibal-LaGrange on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 3 p.m., before beginning GLVC play against Drury on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 2:30 p.m. Both matches will take place at Bulldog Soccer Park, with Saturday's contest following the women's match against the Panthers. Full men's soccer schedule.
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