Soccer is a beloved fall sport at Missouri Baptist University. The Spartans ended the 2021 season with a 6-8-3 record. During the season, the Spartans won notable awards: Brandon Burton won AMC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 20, Louie Perez won Spartan Athlete of the Week on Oct. 4, and Nathan Brock won AMC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 18. Just before the season came to a close, MBU photojournalists took to the field to capture the action and heart of Spartan soccer.
Spartan Nolan Nuttelman kicks the ball in the air to pass the opposing team, Greenville College, with a confident and determined face. Photo by Emily Heflin
Being an athlete comes with no shortage of challenges and Coach Ben Johnstone recognizes that. Throughout his time at Missouri Baptist University, Johnstone’s goal for the MBU women’s soccer team has been to inspire players to not only be the best athletes they can be, but the best people they can be.
Coach Ben Johnstone is known at MBU, Whitfield High School and various additional club soccer teams for his honest approach to the game, both encouraging and inspiring players to reach their best and settle for nothing less. Photo courtesy of Hannah Leahy
After a season that started in the balance for the MBU women’s soccer team, with no wins and disagreements even among players, the team pulled together, bonded and ripped off a 10-game winning streak, concluding with a trip to the AMC Championship game.
Photo by Stacy Rohan
Hailey Hickerson, sophomore from O’Fallon, Missouri, attempts to head-ball an incoming high pass in a mini scrimmage during practice. The Spartans finished the 2019 season with an 11-9-1 record, and six Spartans were named to the All-Conference team.
MBU sports team are often involved with various opportunities to give back to the St. Louis communities. One way the MBU men’s soccer team recognizes the value of serving as the hands and feet of Christ is through playing soccer each spring with special needs children as part of the SPENSA program.
Photo by Ben Randolph
Missouri Baptist University soccer players have helped with SPENSA-sponsored camps in St. Louis each spring for several years, and team members agree it is one of the most important outreaches they do as a team.
Here are some interesting facts about MBU Timeline, the student newsmagazine of Missouri Baptist University, in St. Louis:
*Our mission statement is: MBU Timeline is the student news network of Missouri Baptist University, a private Christian university that embraces the essential core value of “social change through service and leadership.”
*The Bible verse that drives our mission is 2 Timothy 2:15 (Worldwide English Version): “Tell the true message in the right way.”
*The WordPress website has been up since late-fall 2013. We average about 3,000 sessions and about 5,000 pageviews per month.
*Our stories and galleries get as few as 40 or 50 hits, or as many as 8,000 hits.
*We have readers in every state and more than 90 countries around the world. We have several readers in South America, the United Kingdom, India and Australia.
*Most of our readers are in Missouri, followed by Illinois, California and Texas.
*We do not accept advertising as we are a not-for-profit online newsmagazine.
*We welcome contributors from all walks of MBU life, regardless of your major. Reach out to us on Twitter at: @mbutimeline.
Spartan Nolan Nuttelman kicks the ball in the air to pass the opposing team, Greenville College, with a confident and determined face. Photo by Emily Heflin
