The Missouri State University women’s soccer team ended its season with an overall record of 10-7-2 and a 3-3-0 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bears finished tied for fourth in the Valley standings behind top finisher Evansville, second-place finisher Illinois State and third-place finisher Drake. The Bears and Creighton both finished 3-3-0 in league play.  The Bears received the four-seed on the strength of their head-to-head win over Creighton in the regular season. Indiana State finished sixth and UNI finished seventh in the final Valley standings.
    Missouri State advanced to the State Farm MVC Tournament for the 13th consecutive season. The Bears faced off against fifth-seed and host Creighton University in the first round of the league tournament. After 110 scoreless minutes, the Bears challenged CU in a penalty kick shootout. Missouri State edged the Bluejays 4-2 in the shootout, earning the win and moving on the semifinal round. With the victory, the Bears matched up against the number one seed, Evansville, in the semifinal match. Missouri State dropped a 3-1 decision to the Purple Aces, despite posting an impressive 26 shots. The Purple Aces were eventually crowned MVC Tournament champions after a victory over Indiana State in the final.
    Seven members of the 2008 women’s soccer squad earned individual recognition for their impressive performances on the field. Senior goalkeeper Jackie Jasper, sophomore defender Jordan Reppell and junior midfielder Samantha Aguilar were each named to the All-MVC first team. Junior defender Jessica Smits and senior midfielder Allie Osmundson were selected All-MVC second team and sophomore midfielder Christine Cross was recognized on the honorable mention squad.  Freshman forward Kelsey Finders earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team.
    Senior forward Caroline Sweeney was named to the 2008 MVC All-Tournament Team along with teammate Smits. The Bears found success in the classroom as well. Sweeney, Aguilar and Smits were all named MVC Scholar-Athletes. Sweeney was a first-team pick while Aguilar and Smits were honored on the honorable mention list.
    Missouri State kicked off the 2008 season at Plaster Field with a tough home match against Arkansas on August 22. The Razorbacks scored the lone goal of the match in the second half to give Arkansas the victory. Two days later, the Bears hosted UALR and picked up a 2-0 shutout victory over the Trojans. Freshman Kelsey Finders recorded her first collegiate goal in the contest when she found the open net off of a scramble play. Junior Samantha Aguilar also tabbed her first goal of the season to give the Bears a 2-0 win. Missouri State’s Jackie Jasper was credited with three saves, earning her first win of the season.
    On August 29, Missouri State picked up its second win of the season by shutting out in-state rival Southeast Missouri State, 1-0, in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Aguilar tabbed her second goal of the season while Jasper recorded the win. The Bears returned home for a Sunday afternoon match against Tulsa. Missouri State continued to dominate defensively, blanking the Golden Hurricanes 1-0. Senior Jenna Laughlin headed the ball into the back of the net off a cross pass from senior Osmundson.
    The Bears then traveled to Saint Louis, Mo., to compete in the Toys-For-Tots Tournament against Army and host Saint Louis. The Bears suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to Army on September 5. In the tournament finale, the Bears battled SLU to a 0-0 tie on its home turf. Missouri State’s defense was solid once again as Jasper recorded nine saves in the match, earning her fourth shutout of the season. Seniors Jasper and Osmundson were joined on the all-tournament team by sophomore defender Jordan Reppell for their outstanding efforts in the tournament.
    The Bears returned home to host No. 18 Kansas on September 12. MSU’s defense was tested as the Jayhawks recorded 16 shots and netted four goals. Aguilar scored the lone goal for the Bears as she headed the ball into the back of the net past KU’s keeper.
    Next, MSU headed to Fayetteville, Ark., to compete in the Razorback Invitational where they would challenge Nicholls State and Western Michigan. The Bears dominated Nicholls State in a 7-0 shutout victory in the first match of the invitational. Meghan Cassady, Sweeney, Aguilar, Finders, Laughlin and Bisbee each netted a goal in the contest. Jasper recorded her fifth shutout of the season and earned her 34th career win, putting her at the top of the Missouri State career wins list. Missouri State defeated the Western Michigan Broncos by a score of 1-0 in the final match on September 21. Osmundson netted the game-winning goal and her first of the season when she capitalized on a mistake made by WMU’s defense in the backfield.
    The Bears continued their road stint, traveling to Tulsa, Okla., to compete against Oral Roberts. Junior Jenna Dobkins netted her first goal of the season, helping Missouri State earn a 3-2 win over the Golden Eagles. Missouri State added another goal as Osmundson sent a corner into the back of the net. Sweeney gave the Bears a 3-0 lead when she headed the ball into the back of the net off a cross pass from Christine Cross. ORU did not back down and scored two goals in the second half but it was not enough to defeat MSU. In the last match before conference play, Missouri State hosted SIU Edwardsville. The Bears blanked SIUE 3-0 as Laughlin, Cross and Finders all scored goals for the Bears. Jasper earned another shutout victory, her seventh of the season, posting three saves between the pipes.
    Missouri State opened Missouri Valley Conference play at home on October 5 against the Evansville Purple Aces. Sweeney blasted home her third goal of the season to give the Bears the early 1-0 lead. Just four minutes later, the Aces added a goal of their own and later added two more goals in the first half to defeat the Bears 3-1.
    Missouri State earned its first MVC win in a 3-0 shutout victory over UNI on Oct. 10 in Waterloo, Iowa. Aguilar scored two goals in the match and Cassady added the third. Missouri State outshot the Panthers 19-10 in the contest.
    The Bears dropped a 1-0 overtime decision to Drake just two days later in Des Moines, Iowa. Drake’s Elizabeth Woerle netted the golden goal in the 93rd minute of the contest, leading the Bulldogs to their second conference victory this season. 
    Back at home, Missouri State picked up its second conference victory with a 3-2 win over the Creighton Bluejays. Cross put the Bears on the board in the first half of the match as she beat the goalie to the right post and slipped the ball into the back of the net. Finders added another goal just 14 minutes before the half, fighting off three Bluejay defenders and slipping the ball into the back of the net past CU’s goalkeeper. Creighton mounted a comeback, scoring two goals in the second half. Despite a late surge by the Bluejays, the Bears still outshot CU 17-9 in the match.
    On October 26, the Bears dropped a 2-0 decision to conference foe Illinois State. The Redbirds struck once in the first half and once in the second half of the match. The Bears were limited offensively, posting only seven shots to ISU’s 22. The Redbirds earned 13 corner kicks in the game.
    A high-powered offense fueled Missouri State to a 3-0 home shutout victory over Indiana State on senior night October 31. Missouri State struck in the 26th minute as Aguilar netted a goal from seven yards out into the left side of the net. The Bears extended their lead as Finders netted the second goal of the game off a scramble play from close range. The third and final goal came in the second half of the match when Laughlin headed the ball into the back of the net past the Sycamore’s goalkeeper. Missouri State tallied 16 shots to three for ISU.
    With a 3-3-0 conference mark, the Bears received the No. 4 seed going into the State Farm/MVC Tournament in Omaha, Neb. MSU challenged host and fifth-seed Creighton on November 5 in the quarterfinal match. The Bears earned a 4-2 penalty kick victory over Creighton, advancing to the semifinal round of the tournament for the ninth time in program history.
    The Bears suffered a 3-1 season-ending loss to number one seed Evansville in the semifinals of the MVC Tournament. Coming out very strong offensively, Evansville scored all three goals in the first 45 minutes of the match. Missouri State’s Sweeney scored the Bears only goal of the game midway through the second half, but it was not enough to overpower the Purple Aces. With the loss, the Bears concluded the season with a 10-7-2 overall record.
    Missouri State was led by a strong group of seven seniors during the 2008 season. These seniors led Missouri State to 35 wins in their four seasons at Missouri State and 10 Missouri Valley Conference victories.
    Aguilar, Laughlin, Sweeney and Cross led the Bears offensively in the 2008 campaign. Aguilar recorded 17 points on the season while Laughlin totalled 11. Aguilar also led the Bears with seven goals during the 2008 season, three of which were game-winners. Sweeney was second in the category, recording five goals. Sweeney also recorded the highest number of shots and shots on goal for Missouri State. Cross topped the assists charts for the Bears recording five on the season. Defensively, Missouri State was led by four-year starter Jasper, who recorded seven shutouts and 82 saves on the season in goal. She ended the 2008 season with a 1.02 goals-against-average mark, third best in MSU history for a single season.
    “This group of young ladies has helped our women’s soccer program reach a level of consistent effort that has become a standard for Missouri State women’s soccer,” stated head coach Rob Brewer. “They have established a strong work ethic that now permeates throughout the team and will have a beneficial impact on Missouri State women’s soccer for years to come. Not only have they established a winning record on the field, but have also represented MSU in a positive fashion as student-athletes and as people that we can all be proud of.”
    Completing his 13th season at Missouri State, Brewer has posted an overall record of 122-110-27, and has guided the Bears to three trips to the MVC Tournament Championship (‘99, ‘00, ‘01) and one NCAA appearance (2000).