CHICAGO, Ill. - No. 13 Women's Soccer celebrated Labor Day on the pitch as they traveled to Saint Xavier University on Monday. From the start, the Wildcats kept control of the ball and forced the SXU defense to work early. Throughout the half, the IWU defense stopped any attempts by the Cougars offense getting steals or deep clears. Nearing the final 10 minutes of the half, freshman Carlie Grosser stole a pass then dribbled by a defender and scored from about 17 yards out to give the Wildcats the 1-0 lead. With that goal, Grosser retakes the lead for most goals on the team. The first half came to a close and IWU had shown dominance with 13 shots compared to just 3 for SXU and 4 corner kicks compared to just 1. After halftime, both teams played more even. The Wildcats kept attacking with multiple transition plays but the defense fended them off. During the 73rd minute of action, the Cougars tied the game at 1. With just under 8 minutes to play, Aliyah Denton assisted Madelynn Welker for her first goal of the season which gave IWU the 2-1 lead. Just over a minute later, Avery Williams would put one past the goalkeeper after a pass from Sarah Foulk to extend the lead and put the game away.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Chicago, Ill. | Deaton Field
- Records: IWU: 3-0-0 (0-0-0) | SXU: 1-1-1 (0-0-0)
- NAIA Top-25 Poll: IWU - #13 | SXU - Unranked
WHAT HAPPENED
- Carlie Grosser scored the first goal of the game in the 36th minute of the first half to give IWU the advantage.
- Saint Xavier tied the game with a goal of their own in the 73rd minute.
- The Wildcats retook the lead in the 83rd minute when Madelynn Welker scored a deep ball assisted by Aliyah Denton.
- The final goal of the match came a minute later when the veteran, Sarah Foulk, assisted the rookie, Avery Williams to give IWU the 3-1 win.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 24: IWU pounded the Saint Xavier defense, putting up 25 shots with 11 landing on frame.
- 3: Freshman Carlie Grosser scored her 3rd goal of the young season which now leads the team.
- 6: The Wildcats attempted 6 corner kicks compared to only 1 for SXU.
FOULK PERSPECTIVE
- "Going into today we knew Saint Xavier was going to be one of our toughest games so far, I am extremely proud of how this team rose to the occasion," said graduate student Sarah Foulk. "We were able to quickly bounce back after they evened the score with Maddy Welker scoring an incredible goal! Our freshmen also continue to rise to the occasion every game!"
LOOKING FORWARD
- The Wildcats travel to IU East on Wednesday, September 3rd for a match starting at 6:00 PM.
- Links for video and stats are available at IWUWildcats.com.
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