Following the 2023 season, the Lindenwood women’s soccer team finished 3-13-1 and 1-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference, missing the OVC. However, a new year has come and the Lions sit at 8-4-3 and 4-0-3 in OVC play while sitting in first place in the OVC. The improved season has punched them a ticket to the OVC conference tournament. Following a 1-1 tie against Morehead State, and a Little Rock loss to Southern Indiana, Lindenwood is in sole possession of first place in the OVC with a showdown against Little Rock on Sunday, Oct. 20, in what you could call a “Championship Sunday” of sorts. With a Lindenwood win, they clinch their first ever OVC regular season conference championship. It would be the first conference title for the Lions since 2002 when they were apart of the Heart of America Conference (HAAC).
In the game against Morehead, both teams went into halftime deadlocked at 0-0 after a quiet first half. Lindenwood controlled the ball for the majority of the first half, but had very few scoring chances. Lindenwood outshot Morehead State 7-5 in that first half with three of those shots being on goal but all being blocked by Eagles goalie, Lily Bailie. Lindenwood goalie, Caroline Ritter made two saves of her own in the first, keeping the Eagles off the scoreboard going into the break.
Coming out of the halftime break, the Eagles would strike first blood as Anna Lohr would find the back of the net for Morehead State off a corner from Gracen Houck in the 51st minute. However, the Lions would respond in the 57th minute, as Mackenzie Compton would tally her fifth goal of the season putting the ball in the bottom right corner of the net off an assist from Anna Johnson and Jessica Dodd knotting the score at 1-1.
Lindenwood would then be on the attack for the rest of the game, with Morehead State trying to do everything in their power to keep the game 1-1. Lindenwood would have plenty of other opportunities to gain the lead, as in the 63rd minute Compton would get the ball deep in the box and send a pass through to the top where Rachel Jackson stepped up and hammered a shot that sailed high over the goal and into the bleachers.
In the 64th minute, Compton again would have another opportunity as this time she took a shot but missed just outside the right goalpost. In the 80th minute, Johnson would have a chance of her own, but she would place her shot just too high to the right, as it hit off the crossbar and the game remained 1-1. Jackson would miss a shot low to the left in the 85th minute, before their best opportunity came in the 86th minute off a freekick for Lindenwood that saw the ball sail into the box and find the foot of Tasneem Dizdarevic, who had a clear shot on goal to take the lead and she took it. However, her shot sailed towards the top of the goal and clanged off the crossbar and Morehead State was able to get it off the ricochet and clear it, effectively eliminating any chance for Lindenwood to win the game.
Ritter would make two more saves in the second half to not allow Morehead State to upset the Lions, and maintain their perfect OVC record. Lindenwood is now 5-1-1 at home this year and will face Little Rock who was the only team they beat in the OVC last year.
Despite the tie, Lindenwood still clinched a spot in the OVC tournament and will go into their matchup on Sunday, Oct. 20, against Little Rock with a chance to clinch the regular season OVC title and the number one seed in the OVC tournament. That is dependent on Tennessee Tech’s game outcome against Western Illinois the same day. A Lindenwood win, and a Tennessee Tech loss will clinch the championship for the Lions. The team will finish up their regular season on Oct. 27 against Tennessee Tech. The start of OVC tournament play begins a few days after, on Oct. 31.
