Thursday, August 14
Kansas City, Mo.
7:00 PM
Kansas City
vs
Saint Louis
Notes: Women's Soccer Opens the Year Against (RV) Saint Louis
8/13/2025 5:06:00 PM | Women's Soccer
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KANSAS CITY NOTES
KANSAS CITY NOTES
- Kansas City Women's Soccer kicks off year six of the Jess Smith era on Thursday evening against Saint Louis, the first time that Kansas City has begun the year with a home game since 2023.
- Kansas City is 1-3-1 in season-opening games all-time under Coach Smith, but the Roos are 1-0-1 in the last two seasons with a draw against Saint Louis in 2024 and a win over Lindenwood in 2023.
- The Roos return nine players from last season's roster, accounting for 30.29% of the team's total minutes. Emery Ruliffson leads the team in returning minutes. She made 17 starts in 18 appearances last year, going for 1,496 total minutes and ranking second on the team with four assists.
- Ashley Koch and Madelyn Muhr are Kansas City's lone goal scorers to return to roster this season. Koch scored her first goal as a Roo in the KC's draw with Marquette and Muhr scored the game-winner against Southern Illinois.
- In addition, Koch and Muhr were named by the Summit League as "Players to Watch" heading into the year. Koch was named the league's Offensive Peak Performer on Aug. 19, 2024 and Muhr has made 24 starts in 44 career appearances.
- Entering the 17th year of program history, Kansas City holds a 6-8-2Â all-time record in season openers. The Roos have a chance to match their longest result streak heading into this season: KC won three-straight season openers from 2013-15 and have earned a result in each of the last two seasons.
- KC has been very successful in all-time home openers. The Roos are 9-4-3 in their first home match of the year, including a 9-2-1 mark in the past 12 seasons.
- Kansas City got off to one of the best starts in program history in 2024. The Roos began the year 5-0-3, matching the longest unbeaten streak in program history (previously done in 2014 and 2017).
- The Roos welcome 13 newcomers to the roster in 2025: six transfers and seven incoming freshmen.
- Delfina Zolesio Fernandez Blanco, Emilia Zolesio Fernandez Blanco and Riley Porter all join Kansas City from Columbia College following the Cougar's best season in program history. Leading the team to a 20-2-1 record and an NAIA Semifinal appearance, all three players were named First Team All-American Midwest Conference while D. Zolesio and Porter were each named NAIA All-Americans.
- Kaitlyn Edwards comes to the Roos after two seasons at Hutchinson Community College, earning First Team All-KJCCC honors twice and First Team NJCAA All-American honors in 2024.
- The Roos schedule is very regionally based: Kansas City plays six games against other teams located in Missouri. Additionally, the Roos travel just 3,615 miles away from KC across all of their road trips for an average of 401.7 miles per trip. Kansas City's longest trip of the year is to Grand Forks, N.D. on Oct. 19, a 678-mile trek.
SAINT LOUIS NOTES
- The Roos and the Billikens are familiar foes: the pair have played in four of the last five seasons, including a 0-0, weather-shortened, season-opening draw last year.
- Saint Louis owns a 5-0-2 record all-time against Kansas City, including a 2-0-1 mark in games played at Durwood Soccer Stadium.
- The lone draw played in KC came on Sep. 7, 2012, a 1-1 decision.
- The Billikens enter the season with high expectations. After winning the A-10 tournament championship for the seventh-straight season last year, SLU was picked atop the preseason poll.
- Julia Simon was a Second Team All-Conference selection last season and returns to the Billikens for her redshirt-senior season.
Players Mentioned
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