The Northwest Missouri State soccer team recorded a 2-1 victory over Rogers State Sunday afternoon on Senior Day. All three goals in the match came during second half action.
 
Sophie Cissell put the Bearcats on the board at the 55:50 mark off an assist from Kaylie Rock. With Rock's assist, she became the all-time assist leader at Northwest with 14. The previous record was set by Anna Calgaard from 2010-13.
 
Seven minutes after the Cissell goal, Adell Gore found the back of the net off another assist from Kaylie Rock to give the Bearcats a 2-0 lead. The goal was Gore's fifth of her career.
 
In the 82^nd minute of the match, Rogers State drew a penalty kick and scored to bring the score to 2-1.
 
Northwest had 11 shots in the match, and 8 of them were on goal. Rogers State had 9 shots, and 4 on goal. Kaylie Rock led the team in shots with three, followed by Sophie Cissell with two.
 
The Bearcats drew 5 corner kicks and held the Hillcats to 1.
 
Sunday's match was Senior Day for Bearcat soccer. Seniors Kaitlyn Case, Grace Goetsch, Caroline Sanders, Annelize Aleixo, and Letycia Bonifacio were all recognized before kickoff.
 
Both Letycia Bonifacio and Annelize Aleixo are from São Paulo, Brazil. For Aleixo, it has been over four years since her family has had the chance to watch her play in person. For Bonifacio, it has been about five years. That streak ended this weekend.
 
Letycia Bonifacio had her mother and her sister in attendance, and Annelize Aleixo had her father there to cheer her on.
 
"I'm really excited that my family was able to come to watch me play soccer, especially on my senior day! I know that this is not an easy trip to make and having them here means the world to me," said Bonifacio. "I love the Northwest fans and all the support that they show, but having my family here gives me a sense of home."
 
"He means the world to me, so having my dad, it's just everything," Aleixo stated. "It's like a dream come true, so it's really exciting."
 
The teammates said their families always watch every game from home on the MIAA Network. Bonifacio joked as she said, "Fun fact - my mom always checks the stream first thing in the morning, around 6-7 a.m. to see if everything is right so she's ready to watch the game."
 
Aleixo went on to add, "My father watches me online but it's not the same thing." It means more to her to have him here in person because to her, "He is my hero."
 
"For the first time, I'm going to have a family to hug after the game," Aleixo said laughing before the weekend matches. "I'm just excited to have his presence here. I'm going to get out of the game and I'm going to hug him after, and it is going to be awesome."
 
Bonifacio is very appreciative of the opportunity to play in front of her family in person. "This for me is some kind of achievement, it was definitely not an easy route since I came to the United States but knowing that I always had their support was what made me go through it all. Now in my final semester, I have the opportunity to keep making my parents proud which is definitely something to be grateful about."