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By David Boyce  |  Bearcats at Missouri Western  |  Friday, Sept. 18  •  4 p.m.  |  St. Joseph, Mo.  |  Live Statistics
Bearcats vs. UCM  |  Sunday, Sept. 20  •  Noon  |  Maryville, Mo.  |  Live Statistics

MARYVILLE, Mo. - During a discussion about their most recent soccer game at Tuesday's weekly media luncheon, Northwest Missouri State seniors Anna Holden and Sara Worsfold couldn't quite admit to athletic director Mel Tjeerdsma that Bemidji State was better than the Bearcats.
 
The 4-0 loss to Bemidji State was the first time the Bearcats tasted defeat in this young season. It dropped their record to 1-1-2.
 
Two days after the game in Bemidji, Minn., Holden and Worsfold were able to point out the good things the Bearcats did and some of the things they need to work on as they prepare for Friday's non-conference game at rival Missouri Western.
 
"We know we are a good team," Holden said. "We know we are fit. We can finish every game. We are struggling in the scoring part right now. Defensively, we are doing great. We are possessing the ball most of the game. Even the game we lost, the first 20 minutes, we were controlling the ball. Their team barely touched the ball."
 
This weekend will be a great test for the Bearcats against conference opponents in games that aren't counted as conference games. After Missouri Western, the Bearcats return home for a noon Sunday game against No. 2 ranked Central Missouri.
 
"This is the point where we are going to come out and show that we can play against these more competitive teams like UCM. Mo West is going to underestimate us," Worsfold said. "We are going to bring it. We are ready for a win. We are done with the overtimes, and the 1-0 games.
 
"It is fun getting the freshmen to understand these are our rivals. We don't lose to Mo. West. UCM is really good. But we have been talking lately as a team that no one in our conference is unbeatable."
 
Holden and Worsfold are among eight seniors on this year's team and that should help Northwest bounce back quicker from a disappointing result.
 
"Having that many leaders can help us refocus, especially if we are all focused and set the example," Holden said. "I'm hoping everyone will take this loss as a learning experience and only see it as a learning experience and not as a negative thing. Instead of saying we lost 4-0, we take it as a learning experience to get ready for our next game."
 
In their years as student-athletes at Northwest, Holden and Worsfold have learned a lot about themselves as students and as athletes.
 
Holden is majoring in sports psychology and one day wants to be a sports psychologist at a university.
 
"I have had issues with injuries these past three years," Holden said. "I think that has helped me grow, especially the last one with my foot. That was a big surgery and I missed most of last season because of it. Getting to watch the game, even though I would much rather play it, helped me grow so much more as a soccer player.
 
"What I want to focus in sports psychology is concussions and helping athletes come back from injuries. With my history with injuries, it gives me more of a personal experience to relate to other athletes trying to come back from injuries."
 
Worsfold is majoring in elementary education. Some of the things she has learned as a student-athlete she will be able to apply when she is teaching.
 
"Being a student-athlete was the best decision I made," Worsfold said. "I have learned that your teammates literally become your family. I have made amazing friends. It has helped me get into other organizations.
 
"In the classroom, it has helped me be organized, a leader and those are skills I can implement in the classroom. I try to be a positive role model for my younger teammates. That is kind of what I will be as a teacher, a role model for my students."
 
One thing Worsfold is teaching to the freshmen on the soccer team is not to lose to Missouri Western. But it is important for the Bearcats to be ready no matter who they play next.
 
"I definitely want to see a focused team coming in," Worsfold said. "If we can come in ready to play, we can do it."