MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan Women's Soccer went east to Mount Vernon Nazarene University for their first of three straight road games on Wednesday night. The first half commenced with IWU establishing early momentum through a series of attacking plays. However, the Cougar defense repelled the Wildcat offense. IWU put constant pressure on the Mount Vernon goalkeeper forcing her to make 8 saves in the first half alone to keep the score tied at 0. Despite consistent offensive pressure, highlighted by multiple shots and a corner kick by Madelynn Welker, Indiana Wesleyan was unable to find the back of the net. The second period was more of the same as IWU threw shot after shot against MVNU but were held off from scoring. However, after a handball call against the Cougars, Welker forced the penalty kick by the keeper and IWU went up 1-0 in the 73rd minute. The Wildcats were not done as sophomore Katelyn VanderArk found the back of the net as well in the 85th minute for her second goal of the season. Goalkeeper Avery Sluss made three key saves to keep the Cougars off the scoreboard and the Wildcats picked up the shutout win.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Mount Vernon, Ohio | CH4 Stadium
- Records: IWU: 11-1-1 (5-0-1) | MVNU: 7-5-2 (2-4-0)
- NAIA Top-25 Poll: IWU - #6 | MVNU - Unranked
WHAT HAPPENED
- IWU pummeled the Cougar defense with shots in the first half with 8 landing on frame.
- Madelynn Welker scored for the second game in a row on a penalty kick after a handball call in the 73rd minute.
- The Wildcats scored once more in the 85th minute when Katelyn VanderArk put one past the MVNU goalkeeper.
- Avery Sluss and the IWU defense put on another clinic of clean soccer as they produced their 8th clean sheet of the season.
KEY WILDCATS
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 5: This win was the 5th in a row for IWU.
- 3: Senior Maddy Welker scored her 3rd goal in 2 games.
- .39: Avery Sluss currently sits 5th in the NAIA with a .39 Goals Against Average in her 13 games.
SHAY PERSPECTIVE:
- "Maddy Welker put away a penalty kick in the second half and Kate Vanderark followed it up with a great finish," said Head Coach Hannah Shay. "Avery Sluss and our backline did a great job tonight and made some big defensive plays."
LOOKING FORWARD
- IWU stays on the road for their match on Saturday, October 18th against Saint Francis at 1:00 PM.
- Links for video and stats are available at IWUWildcats.com.
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