It was a long time coming.
Cassville senior soccer standout Emma Berndt, the new school record-holder for goals in a single season, inked her name to a letter of intent for Central Methodist University on April 26.
Berndt is now the fourth college signee for the Cassville girls program, and she is the first to commit to a four-year institution. It was a goal set many years ago now realized.
“College has always been my goal,” she said. “I wrote myself a letter in fifth grade that we just opened and read, and in that letter was I wanted to play college soccer.”
Berndt has been around the game most of her life, as her two older brothers, Andrew and Dylan, both played for the Wildcats over the last decade.
“I’m very excited for Emma,” said Jake Forste, Cassville soccer coach. “Coming from a soccer family with both her older brothers, she was just a kid chasing them around through elementary and middle school. She got her first taste of leadership when [2022 Crowder College signee Jhandi] Shears moved on. She saw the effort it required by watching her brothers and best friend play, and she has a great support system.”
Forste said Berndt had numerous options collegiately, and he thinks she made a great decision.
“It’s a luxury when you get to pick from several options,” he said. “CMU is a good match, and a player I have coach before went there, so I know it’s a strong program in men’s and women’s. I’m excited to see her compete at a high level with a top-notch program.”
Central Methodist finished last season ranked No. 4 in the nation among NAIA schools. The Lady Eagles went 19-3-1, falling in the Heart Tournament championship to Missouri Valley, 3-2, then reaching the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championships, falling to Tennessee Southern, 1-0. CMU’s only other loss on the season was its very first game, a 2-1 decision to the University of Cumberlands in Kentucky, the eventual NAIA National Champion.
Top-notch was something Berndt looked for not only in athletics but in academics, as well.
Ranked No. 3 in her class, Berndt had her sights set on a certain major, which is not an easy one to find in Missouri.
“I chose CMU for a little bit of both athletics and academics,” Berndt said. “They have a great marine biology program — the only one in Missouri — and the soccer team is amazing. I’ve had lots of great coaching, and love the sport, and my teammates have been a big support.”
Berndt said with her time at Cassville, she has too many happy memories to name, but one big one stood out this season.
“We beat New Covenant Academy for the first time this year, and we’ve been trying to beat them in the past four,” she said. “Those were close games every time.”
The 2-1 win in the second game of the season was the first for the Lady Wildcats over NC since 2019. Cassville topped the Lady Warriors again on April 30, in an overtime, come-from-behind victory, 3-2.
A third matchup between the teams will end one’s season, as No. 4 Cassville faces No. 5 NCA in the district quarterfinals on May 13 in Rogersville.
No matter how this season ends, Forste said Berndt and this senior class have left a massive impact on the Lady Wildcats program. Berndt broke the single-season goals record with 18 so far, surpassing program founder Jazmin Aguirre; and senior teammate Audrey Gosvener set the single-season assist record with 10 so far, surpassing Aguirre’s teammates, Kamryn Jaques and Juliette Okel.
The Lady Wildcats are 12-5-1 this season, and when combined with the 15-8-1 Wildcats in the fall, 27 wins is the most combined in a year for Cassville soccer.
“This whole class has been a good group of four-year players,” Forste said. “They all came in their freshman seasons and contributed right away, and the impact of that is we wouldn’t have 32 players in the program today if they didn’t put in the work when we had 15-16.
“They learned through years of grinding it out, and they carry a banner and confidence for the next generation behind them.”
Berndt is the daughter of Kurt Berndt and Lacy and Jerry Freitag. She is majoring in marine biology.
