2025 Women's Soccer Season Recap

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Mount Mercy Mustangs women's soccer team closed the 2025 campaign with a 7-9-2 overall record, one of the best seasons in program history, showing strong home form and competitive conference play in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. The Mustangs went 5-2-1 at home and 5-7-1 in league play, marking a season defined by attacking efficiency and defensive resilience despite a challenging road slate.

Mount Mercy opened the year with early nonconference wins over Coe and Briar Cliff before splitting results through a demanding conference schedule. The Mustangs secured key HAAC victories over Grand View, William Woods, Culver-Stockton, Baker, and William Penn, while earning scoreless draws against Graceland and St. Francis (Ill.). The team's offense tallied 25 goals on 176 shot attempts, averaging 1.39 goals per match.

Junior forward Lauren O'Toole led the attack with seven goals and one assist, posting a .259 shot percentage and .593 shots-on-goal rate. Senior Brielle Bastian followed closely with six goals and two assists, including four successful penalty conversions. Orla Humphrey and Savannah Stout each contributed seven points, with Humphrey scoring three goals and Stout providing a team-high five assists. Nadine Sanchez added two goals and two assists, while Eden Campbell and Hannah Dodds each registered one goal and multiple assists in key matchups.

In goal, Manuela Gutierrez anchored the Mustangs' defense, starting all 18 matches and recording 78 saves with a .634 save percentage. Gutierrez posted four shutouts, highlighted by a 1-0 win over Grand View and a 3-0 clean sheet against William Penn. Despite conceding 45 goals on 237 opponent shots, the Mustangs maintained near-parity in corner kicks (73 each) and shots on goal percentage (.528 to .527).

Mount Mercy's penalty efficiency stood out, converting all five opportunities from the spot. The Mustangs committed 197 fouls and received 12 yellow cards across the season, underscoring their physical defensive style.

The team closed with a balanced offensive output — 14 goals in the first half and 11 in the second. Though road struggles limited late-season momentum, Mount Mercy demonstrated depth and discipline across a competitive Heart conference schedule.