Shortly after the Baker football team dominated Graceland University, the women’s soccer team kept the homecoming spirit alive at Liston Stadium, beating Missouri Valley College in a 1-0 shutout.

Both teams went scoreless in the first half but an assist from midfielder Gina Schiraldi gave junior Mikayla Medlock a clean look at the net and put the ‘Cats up 1-0 early in the second half. Medlock said she attributes the winning goal to her teammate’s perfect pass.

“Gina passed a really good ball right behind the defenders to the top of the 18 (penalty box) and, really, I couldn’t have messed it up,” Medlock said. “It was a perfect pass so I give the credit to her for that goal.”

Though the scoreboard showed a win, assistant coach Melanie Benson said the women struggled to perform up to par against their conference opponent.

“We did not play our best game,” Benson said. “We did not play up to our potential, but we still got the win.”

Sophomore Haley Oborny said the team lacked focus going into the game. She said the homecoming spirit that should have been inspiring was in turn distracting for some athletes.

“It was homecoming. It should have been a big game and everyone should have been pumped up, but I don’t think we were as motivated as we should have been,” she said. “I think homecoming might have taken some people’s minds off the game.”

However, in the end the ‘Cats did manage to come through, adding a win to their now 4-0 winning streak and remaining undefeated in conference play.

“It’s our fourth win in a row, and it’s our fourth shutout,” Benson said. “We are doing good at keeping balls out of the net, and it’s giving us confidence going into our tougher challenges.”

Regaining the focus the team seemed to lose last weekend will be the key as it faces yet another conference opponent Saturday.

“I think we know we can win, but I just hope we don’t come out expecting to win every game,” Oborny said. “We need to show up and be ready to play every game.”

The team will take on Lindenwood University at 1 p.m. Saturday at North Park where the ‘Cats will try to grab another conference win.

“Lindenwood is always pretty tough; they are always ready to play,” Benson said. “Having them at home, the key is we need to get a lot of fans out there and a lot of support, and we should be able to take care of business.”