JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College women's soccer team fell behind early but rattled off three straight goals in the middle of an exciting opening 45 minutes to take a 3-2 lead at the break over Principia College. The defenses locked down from there and neither team scored in the second half, giving the Lady Blues the 3-2 victory and improving the team to 4-3-0 on the season.
With the match not even three minutes old, Principia took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Brittany Ouellette. The initial shot by the Panthers was cleared away by an Illinois College defender, but it ended right at the feet of Ouellette and
Lindsey Kormelink had no chance at recovering in time to get a hand to the shot.
With both offenses flowing up and down the field on both sides, another goal was inevitable and it came from Illinois College in the 13th minute.
Katie Elmore sent a ball through the middle of the field that Principia goalkeeper Hannah Hathaway cleared, but it came right back to Elmore. Her pass went to
Olivia Dobbs and Dobbs saw her chance with Hathaway off her line, hitting one up and over the keeper that banged off the post and found the back of the net to tie the score at 1-1.
In the 28th minute, an interception in the defensive third led to a runout of sorts by the Lady Blues.
Emma Chapman started it by winning possession and finding
Mychaela Bennett in the middle of the park. Bennett laid it off to Elmore and the sophomore was picked up by absolutely no one, going forward 25 yards without a Principia player marking her. Finally the shooting opportunity was too good to pass up and Elmore splashed it into a corner against a helpless Hathaway.
Lackadaisical defending on Principia's part gave Illinois College its third goal as well. Elmore hustled to win a 50/50 ball in the attacking third and passed to
Morgan Lallish, who had no one within yards of her. Given a free swing at the ball and noticing Hathaway off her line, Lallish lofted it over the goalkeeper's head from 30 yards out to make it 3-1.
The Panthers got one back just before the half, scoring in the 43rd minute after IC gave away a free kick. On a ball that bounced around the box, Sophie Hills got the final touch to it in amongst a crowd and finished top-corner over an outstretched Kormelink to make it 3-2.
After an open and high-scoring first half, the game went into a shell in the second half. Illinois College pressed early for a goal that would have doubled the lead, but Hathaway made three saves in the first 13 minutes. Principia had very few true opportunities on goal in the second half. Most shots were not on target and Kormelink saved the two that were headed goal-bound, the last of which came in the 88th minute to preserve the win.
Elmore ended with a match-high seven shots, while Bennett had four. Dobbs and Lallish each had two apiece. Kormelink earned her fourth win in five starts by making five saves.
Illinois College hosts one last non-conference match before the first Midwest Conference contest of the season on Wednesday night, taking on Webster University at 5 p.m.
