VALPARAISO, Ind. – Hailey Chambliss’ 56th-minute goal broke up a scoreless deadlock here Sunday in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship match, lifting Missouri State to a 1-0 victory over Murray State and giving the Bears their third MVC Tournament title in program history.
Chambliss’ eighth goal of the season helped MSU avenge a midseason loss to Murray State. The Bears (12-6-2) will return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
“Wow, what a great feeling. Excited for the team,” head coach Kirk Nelson said. “They executed the game plan brilliantly against a tough opponent. Everyone did their part in a high-profile championship game. I’m looking forward to the next step.”
“This win was especially rewarding for a few reasons. Coming in second in the regular season left a bitter taste in all our mouths, and I felt we used the bye week and time to our advantage,” Grace O’Keefe added. “When we found out we were matched up with Murray we’d knew it’d be an especially tough match with their direct and quick attack. We came out with high energy and had an incredible defensive game and are looking to keep it going for the big dance.”
Murray State came into the finals as the No. 8 seed, winners of three straight matches, and the lowest-ranked team to make the MVC Tournament. Meanwhile, the heavily-favored Bears were seeded No. 2 and coming off a 2-1 semifinals victory over UNI on Thursday.
Early on, the match was showing signs of a defensive struggle, and both teams had a single shot through the first 15 minutes. However, as the match progressed, MSU began to find its rhythm. The final 15 minutes of the opening half saw the Bears fire off nine shots, with four of them being turned back by Murray State goalkeeper Jamie Skarupsky. With five minutes left, Riley Smith was the closest to breaking the tie for the Bears, getting a point-blank shot past the goalkeeper only to see the ball narrowly deflect off the right goalpost. Despite the late half offensive onslaught, the Racers and Bears were tied heading into the intermission.
The game plan was no different for MoState when the second half kicked off. However, this time around, the Bears capitalized immediately. Chambliss turned MSU’s first shot of the half into a game-winning goal, scoring off of assisting passes by MVC Tournament MVP Kaeli Benedict and Gracie English to but the Bears up on the Racers, 1-0.
“We knew going into this game that we would have to leave everything on the field because Murray State was a very tough team,” Benedict said. “We had made it so far in the tournament that losing was never an option in our minds. You could feel the support from every single person on and off the field, and I feel like we wanted this win more than anybody. It’s such an unbelievable feeling to be the MVC Champions with an amazing group of girls.”
“We got what we came for,” Chambliss added.
After the score, the Bears kept their foot on the gas, firing three shots on goal. The back line of Carly Raunig, Jenna Anderson, Kyli Jackson and Gabbi Schlapper kept the Racers from creating scoring opportunities, and Camielle Day cleaned house with two saves on the afternoon and her ninth individual shutout.
“Our whole team came out with great energy this weekend, and we worked together to get those wins,” Anderson said. “Our back line stayed calm and composed, and we were able to get the job done. I’m so proud of my team and couldn’t have done it without them.”
As time expired, MSU’ recorded its 11th shutout of the season, tying the program’s all-time record set in 2000, and ended Murray State’s Cinderella run through the MVC Tournament.
The Bears’ NCAA Tournament opponent will be decided Monday (Nov. 7) at 3 p.m. during the 2022 Division I NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship Selection Show, where the field of 64 teams will be revealed. The selection show can be viewed here. The Bears have made two previous NCAA Tournament appearances in 2000 and 2017.
Missouri State MVC All-Tournament Team members:
Kaeli Benedict (MVP)
Grace O’Keefe
Jenna Anderson
Hailey Chambliss
Elite 17 Award: Grace O’Keefe
