Preview: Roos Head to NM State Before Last Home Game

Kansas City Weekly Notes

Kansas City (9-3-4, 1-2-2) Women's Soccer has a great opportunity ahead of them with a pair of games this week against teams higher in the conference standings. First on Thursday, the Roos travel to New Mexico State (3-11-2, 2-4) before coming back to Kansas City for the home finale against California Baptist (12-3-1, 5-1) on Sunday.
The Roos stand with five points in conference play, one point behind fifth-place NM State, Grand Canyon and CSU Bakersfield. California Baptist stands on top of the leaderboard with 15 points and a 5-1 league record.
Kansas City has dominated the overall series with New Mexico State with seven wins in nine meetings (7-1-1). In games played in Las Cruces, N.M., the Roos are 3-1-0 with a 8-4 scoring advantage. Kansas City carries a seven-match unbeaten streak (6-0-1) in the series into Thursday's game.
Against California Baptist, the teams will be meeting for just the second time as the Lancers joined the WAC last year. The Roos bested California Baptist by a 1-0 score last year in which Rylan Childers had an assist.
Sunday's game pits the conference's leading goal performers in Rylan Childers and California Baptist's Rola Badawiya with nine goals each. Rylan is also first in points (24) and tied for first in assists (6), with Badawiya second with 21 points.
Kansas City hit a program milestone with the 1-0 win on Oct. 20. The victory marked their 100th in their 219th all-time contest. Overall, the program is 100-94-25 in 11 seasons of competition. Kansas City has averaged just over nine wins each season.
With three regular-season games remaining, Kansas City is currently in eighth-place, but has a chance to move up to as high as third when it's all said and done. The Roos are the two-time defending regular season champions.
The tie on Oct. 6 to Seattle U secured the Roos third-straight winning season and sixth in the last seven years. Kansas City has three regular-season games remaining and has a chance to be 12-3-4 overall, which would put the Roos at three-straight 12-win seasons.
After a 1-0 blanking on Oct. 20, the Roos' defense has posted seven shutouts on the year and has allowed just 14 goals in 16 games (0.83 gapg), which ranks second in the conference. The unit has allowed one-or-fewer goals in 12-of-16 games.
The Roos got off to a school-record start at 8-1-2, which also marked the best non-conference record in their 11-year history. They were undefeated through seven games, prior to its first loss in game eight on Sept. 17 against Creighton (L, 2-1).
With seven shutouts on the year, the Roos have now compiled 17 shutouts through 37 games (45.9%) dating back to last year. The two shutouts in the first two games this year was a first in the 11-year history of the women's soccer program.
The four double-overtime games played in 2019 ties for the second-most in a single-season in KC history. The 2011 team compiled six, double-overtime games.
Sophomore forward Rylan Childers presently ranks among the top-70 in the NCAA in five different major offensive categories. She is among the nation's best in total goals (40th - 9), goals per game (69th - 0.56), total assists (63rd - 6), total points (31st - 24) and points per game (44th - 1.50).

NCAA RPI Rankings

Kansas City is the highest rated Western Athletic Conference team in the latest NCAA RPI list, published on Oct. 21. The Roos check in at No. 118, which is ahead of second-place Utah Valley at No. 131. The Roos reached as high as No. 71 earlier this year in the RPI.

Record Watch

Heading into the match with New Mexico State, sophomore Rylan Childers needs two more assists to tie her older sister, Reighan, for the career assists mark. Two more helpers would give Rylan 22 in her career.
Head coach Chris Cissell is nearing 100 career wins at Kansas City. He holds 98 currently. In 21 collegiate women's soccer seasons, Cissell stands with 266 wins.
As a program, Kansas City notched its 100th all-time win with the 1-0 shutout of Utah Valley on Oct. 20, 2019. The Roos are playing in their 11th all-time season.
Two other Roos -- sophomore Afton Fennewald and senior Erin Roth -- find themselves climbing the Kansas City Women's Soccer Record Book. See page four for details.

Scouting New Mexico State

The Aggies are 1-6-2 at home this year as they welcome the Roos on Senior Day in the final home contest of 2019.
New Mexico State is one point ahead of the Roos in the conference standings and in seventh place.
After a nine-game losing streak, the Aggies have won the last two matches entering Thursday.
Shea O'Connor leads the team in goals (4) and points (9). In the net, Dmitri Fong has been the main focus with 109 saves, a 1.93 GAA and a 3-10-2 record.

Scouting California Baptist

The Lancers are shooting for their first regular-season conference championship in the WAC. They have won nine of their last 10 games overall heading into Thursday's game against Seattle U.
California Baptist is No. 1 in the WAC in total goals scored (31) and fewest goals allowed (12) and goals allowed average (0.73).
Rola Badawiya is tied with Kansas City's Rylan Childers for the most goals in the WAC with nine. She is one of six players with at least two goals on the team. Karley Weeks has the most assists with four.