MARION, Ind. - No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan Women's Soccer took on the 7 seeded Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars in the Crossroads League Quarterfinals on Wednesday evening and came away with the 3-0 victory. IWU started the first half with a strong offensive presence, generating multiple scoring opportunities. The first 20 minutes of action saw four corner kicks and six shots from the Wildcats. MVNU played stout defense with two saves from their keeper and another save from the defense to keep IWU off the board. Near the end of the first half, the Wildcats thought they had their first goal of the game but it was called back and the score remained 0-0 going into the half. IWU's defense smothered the Cougars, only allowing one shot in the first period. The second period saw the offensive flurry from the red and grey. Fifth year Sarah Foulk scored the first in the 49th minute after she collected her own rebound off the post and fired it back in. Madelynn Welker soon followed in the 53rd minute assisted by Aliyah Denton. With the score now 2-0, the Wildcats kept up the attack highlighted by multiple shots from Avery Williams. The third goal came by way of a top right corner rocket from Sydney Couch in the 63rd minute. All three goals tonight for Foulk, Welker, and Couch marks the fifth on the season for each. Again, the IWU defense only allowed 1 shot in the half showcasing the control the home team had all night. Indiana Wesleyan now faces off with no. 3 seeded Grace College on Saturday for the Semifinal match.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind. | IWU Soccer Field
- Records: IWU: 14-2-1 (7-1-1) | MVNU: 8-8-2 (3-6)
- Crossroads League Tournament Seed: IWU - #2 | MVNU - #7
WHAT HAPPENED
- IWU put constant pressure on MVNU and thought they took the lead late in the first half but the goal was called back.
- Sarah Foulk scored after getting the rebound on her previous shot in the 49th minute of action.
- The Wildcats added to the lead soon after when Maddy Welker found the back of the net in the 53rd minute assisted by Aliyah Denton.
- Sydney Couch finished off the scoring in the 63rd minute with a laser from the 18 line that went top right corner past the outstretched arms of the Cougar keeper.
KEY WILDCATS
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 5: Foulk, Welker, and Couch each scored their fifth goal of the season.
- 2: The IWU defense only allowed 2 shots from MVNU all night, 1 on goal, while the offense fired off 31 shots of their own.
- 10: The Wildcats took 10 corner kicks while preventing the Cougars from taking any.
COUCH PERSPECTIVE
- "It was a full team effort," said junior Sydney Couch. "It's good that we get to continue our season and we are looking to glorify the Lord in all that we do. Just excited for the rest of the season and whatever it has in store for us."
LOOKING FORWARD
- IWU continue their quest for the Crossroads Tournament Championship with a match at home on Saturday, November 8th against Grace College at 5:00 PM.
- Links for tickets, video, and stats are available at IWUWildcats.com.
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