By: A late goal from Ally Kjellander brought IC back into the contest, but the Lady Blues couldn’t complete the comeback on Tuesday evening.
Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College women's soccer team showed plenty of defensive steel on Tuesday night in their season opener under new Head Coach
Scott Smith, but a lack of touches in the final third did the Lady Blues in as they fell, 2-1, to Webster University.
Ally Kjellander was the goal-scorer on the evening for IC, with
Ashley Sholmire providing the assist.
The first half didn't provide IC fans with much of an opportunity to get behind their new squad. Though the Lady Blues did well at times to hold possession in the middle of the park, Webster had the better chances going forward. At the halftime whistle, the Gorloks held an 8-0 advantage in shots against Illinois College, though the efforts of goalkeeper
Cat Solberg and the back line of the Lady Blues kept the match scoreless.
Illinois College changed the tone of the match in the second half with a bright start offensively, resulting in goal-scoring opportunities from Kjellander, Sholmire and
Alexis Chavez. Sholmire in particular could have put the Lady Blues out in front, as she was brought to ground right as she attempted a shot that skidded to the left of the frame. After those near-misses, IC fell behind on a nicely-taken free kick. The chipped-in effort of Ashley Mess fell perfectly in the box to Sydney Tedesco. Tedesco's shot got past Solberg and might have been goal-bound, but Chelsea Noser made no doubt about it by deflecting it across the line from a yard away.
The Gorloks doubled their lead inside the final 10 minutes. After goalkeeper Alisa Coralic got her hands on a ball and booted it far downfield, all it took was a header forward from Tedesco to spring Allison Ferguson into a one-on-one situation. A deft cut inside got her free of an IC defender and she moved the ball back onto her right foot to finish past Solberg for a 2-0 Webster lead.
Illinois College had a reply, but it was too late for the Lady Blues to complete the comeback. Sholmire earned IC a corner and she quickly played it short to an unmarked Kjellander on the left side of the box. Her shot through a maze of Webster defenders squirted through the arms of Coralic and into the net to make it 2-1 with just over three minutes remaining. The Lady Blues could not unlock the Gorlok defense again though, and fell to 0-1-0 on the young season.
Despite allowing two difficult goals, Solberg was sturdy in goal for Illinois College, making 10 saves and handling 11 Webster corners without incident. Sholmire and Kjellander each had two shots in the match for IC, with Chavez and
Kaylen Sims also attempting one shot apiece.
Illinois College will be back at England Stadium on Saturday at 5 p.m., hosting Spalding University.
