JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College women's soccer team topped Principia College on Tuesday night, 2-1, surviving an equalizing goal from the Panthers with less than five minutes remaining.
Ashley Brokaw scored the game-winner for the Lady Blues with 87 seconds remaining, improving the team to 3-1-0 on the year.
The scoring started early when
Katie Elmore played a ball to Brokaw down the wing and the sophomore lofted a ball into the 18-yard box towards
Annie Burns. On a collision between Burns and a Principia defender, the ball rolled into the side netting with no foul called either way, staking Illinois College to a 1-0 lead with just over two minutes gone.
The rest of the first half was evenly played between the two sides. First-half shots were even at 8-8, though Hannah Hathaway was asked to do slightly more in goal for Principia, making four saves in the opening 45 minutes compared to two for
Charlotte Crofton.
Throughout most of the second half, Principia appeared to have no ideas on how to break through the Illinois College defense. With less than five minutes left, that suddenly changed when Hannah Sipe danced into the 18-yard box and delivered a square ball that Maddie Wann put in the top corner to knot the score at 1-1.
The match looked destined for overtime when the Lady Blues earned a corner kick with about two minutes left in the second half.
Katie Elmore put a dangerous ball in that found Brokaw just outside the six-yard box and she found an angle through a crowd in front of goal to score the winner in the 89th minute.
Morgan Lallish led the Lady Blues with four shot attempts (two on-target) in the match. Brokaw ended with three and
Olivia Dobbs had two. Crofton made two saves on the night to pick up the victory in goal.
Illinois College is back home on Thursday night, hosting Blackburn College at 7 p.m.
