SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - McKendree University women's soccer (4-0-4, 4-0-1 GLVC) claimed a third-straight shutout and a fourth-straight victory on Sunday afternoon, using a strong second half to shut down Drury and get the win, 2-0. The Bearcats collected six points on the weekend overall as they blasted Southwest Baptist, 2-0, on Friday before bouncing the Panthers, 2-0, on Sunday. McKendree returns to its home turf, Leemon Field, for its next pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference outings, as the Bearcats play host to Missouri S&T on October 3 and Lincoln on October 5. 

McKendree sought not only a result on Sunday afternoon but also to return the favor to Drury after the 2024 regular season result, which saw the Panthers win 2-0 on the Bearcats' home field. The Bearcats and Drury went to battle in the first half with the intermission seeing a 0-0 score between the two squads with McKendree putting five of nine shots on-frame and Drury sending four of 10.

The second half saw the Bearcats begin to capitalize on opportunities and zone-in defensively as the eventual game-winner was fired in the 50th minute of action. The game-winning score was initiated off a long free kick by sophomore defender Riley Hill. Hill's free kick found the feet of junior midfielder Maggie Gleckler in the box, as she dished it over to sophomore forward Ella Rogan, who subsequently relocated the ball to sophomore forward Maddie Mauch, who fired it in for the score. McKendree held its 1-0 lead while under bombardment from the Drury attack, as the Panthers mustered 12 shots to no avail with junior keeper Peyton Baker tallying nine saves on the day. In the 79th minute, the Bearcats found themselves deep in the Panthers' defensive third, as senior forward Karin Tebelius lofted a pass into the box, which freshman midfielder Emma Correale collected and tapped in for junior forward Ella Post to fire into the back of the net. The insurance score by Post marked her first of the season while helping put her team in proper position to secure three points over the Panthers.

Baker tallied another shutout on the campaign with the result over Drury, including a penalty kick save in the latter minutes of the first half.