By: Ashley Sholmire scored two more times on Saturday and is now co-leader in the MWC in goals this season, but it wasn’t enough for the Lady Blues in a 7-3 loss.
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Though the Illinois College women's soccer team put a number on the scoreboard that is usually quite enough most matches, it wasn't the case on Saturday afternoon as Grinnell College came to England Stadium and walked away with a 7-3 decision over the Lady Blues. The Pioneers up their record to 6-4-0 while staying perfect in the Midwest Conference at 3-0-0. IC drops to 3-9-0 (1-2-0 MWC).
Grinnell scored the first four goals of the match before the two teams alternated the final six.
Ashley Sholmire found the back of the net twice for the Lady Blues to up her goal tally this season to nine, matching her career high for a season and tying for the MWC lead.
The tone was set early when a soft pass from the left wing somehow found its way through to the back post where Valencia Alvarez simply had to tap it home for a 1-0 Grinnell lead in the third minute of the contest. More than 20 minutes went by after that before the Pioneers added onto their lead with a counterattack that resulted in a strike from Simona Bambi in the 25th minute.
The Pioneers piled on with two more goals in the 29th and 37th minutes to take a 4-0 lead. Illinois College made a dent with a 41st minute off of a corner kick.
Olivia Dobbs had the delivery and
Mackenzie Bedgood steered it home nicely off the bounce. Before the half came to a close, Grinnell scored again on an Illinois College own goal, but the Lady Blues recovered to make it 5-2. Dobbs had a long throw-in into the box where Bedgood flicked it towards goal and Sholmire put a foot to it to sneak it past Elizabeth Hunt.
In the second half, Grinnell went on top, 6-2, with a rebound goal after an initial
Charlotte Crofton save in the 61st minute. Again responding quickly, Illinois College made it 6-3 with Dobbs playing a through ball up the right side to Sholmire, who outraced her defender and was left one-on-one with Hunt, sliding it past her at the near post. Sholmire's 34th career goal also gave Dobbs three assists on the day. The final tally was Bambi's second of the day, scoring unassisted on a long shot from outside the 18-yard box in the 75th minute.
Crofton was challenged throughout the afternoon by a rabid Pioneer attack. The sophomore made 12 saves on the day.
Illinois College will gladly take a breather after playing 12 matches in a span of just more than four weeks. The Lady Blues are not in action again until an Oct. 7 road match at Monmouth College, beginning at 1 p.m.
