By: Goals just before and just after halftime decided it, with the Vikings adding a third late in the match.
Box Score
CHICAGO, Ill. – The Illinois College women's soccer team hung tough for nearly the whole first 45 minutes on the road at North Park University, but a penalty kick just before the intermission opened the floodgates and the Vikings walked away with a 3-0 win over the Lady Blues.
A lot was again asked of
Charlotte Crofton and she was up to the task much of the way. Crofton ended the night with 11 saves, while receiving some help from a keeper's best friends – the posts and the bar. She had made four saves in the opening half an hour when the Vikings hit the post in the 31st minute. After
Mackenzie Bedgood registered a shot on goal that had to be saved by Sydney Martinez in the 33rd minute, North Park responded with a shot off the crossbar in the 34th minute.
The Lady Blues nearly made it to halftime unscathed, but a foul was called in the box with just over a minute remaining in the first half. Emily McIntyre stepped up and converted the penalty kick to put the Vikings up, 1-0.
Three minutes into the second half, McIntyre struck again. This time the goal came from open play, with the assist going to Marina Barrios. The Vikings continued to apply pressure throughout the half, with very few chances for Illinois College going forward. One of the rare chances came on an
Ashley Sholmire shot in the 58th minute. Bedgood had a shot go wide of the mark minutes later.
Despite a litany of North Park shots and one reckless challenge from a forward which left both Crofton and the Viking player laid out on the turf, the goalkeeper did her best to keep the Lady Blues alive. The nail in the coffin came on a goal off of a corner kick, headed in by Maja Scharin off of another Barrios assist in the 82nd minute.
Illinois College faces another quick turnaround, returning home to England Stadium on Sept. 20 to face Greenville University at 5 p.m. Though the Lady Blues still have non-conference games down the road, Wednesday's match will be their final tune-up before Midwest Conference play starts with two home matches this weekend.
