Kansas City Opens Conference Play with Two Games at Home

Kansas City Notes

The Roos enter conference play with their best record since 2019 when they began WAC play with a 8-1-2 record. Kansas City's conference opening record is 2-0-2 since rejoining the Summit League and they will look to improve it against Denver. Thursday's game marks Kansas City's first home conference opener since rejoining the Summit in 2020.
A win or draw on Thursday would mark the Roos' first result against Denver in program history. Three of the five matches between Denver and Kansas City have been decided by just one goal, the most recent of which was Oct. 12, 2023, when the Roos lost 1-0.
Kansas City has allowed just four goals this season, ranking them 13th in the nation for goals against average. Through the first ten games, KC is allowing just .408 goals per game. In 2015 the Roos allowed a program-low 16 goals across 21 games for a .75 goals against average.
Adriana Benassi and Madison Page have come up clutch for Kansas City on offense. The pair have earned four goals and one assist for nine points each on the season. Both Benassi and Page have logged two game-winning goals with Benassi becoming the first Roo since 2018 to put up two multi-goal performances.
On Sunday, Kansas City will look to pick up its third program win over NDSU and most recent since Oct. 3, 2021, when the Roos defeated the Bison 1-0.

Denver Notes

Denver enters the match coming off a loss against Gonzaga last Thursday. The Bulldogs earned three goals in the first 31 minutes of play, but the Pioneers responded with a goal in the 52nd minute. Denver's 3-1 loss was its largest deficit of the season.
Thursday's game marks Denver's first road conference opener since 2021. The Pioneers faced Omaha in that match putting up a 2-0 win.
Sophomore Michaela McGowan leads Denver in assists with six and points with ten. From Aug. 21 to Sep. 1, McGowan went on a four-game stretch where she earned at least one point in every game.

North Dakota State Notes

North Dakota State enters the week with a .500 win percentage and a 4-4-2 record. The Bison have recorded wins over Viterbo, Alabama State, Hawaii Pacific and Saint Ambrose. They are just one win away from tying the five wins they earned last season.
As a team, North Dakota State ranks second in the Summit for shots with 174 across ten games. They rank third for shots on goal averaging 6.9 per game.
The Bison have put up four shutouts including 0-0 draws with Green Bay and Idaho State. Payton Mulberry has made seven starts for NDSU notching 28 saves and earning three of their four shutouts.

University of Missouri Kansas City Athletics