MARION, Ind. - No. 11 Women's Soccer welcomed Lourdes University for an afternoon match on Wednesday. The Wildcats offense put pressure on the Grey Wolves early with 2 shots and 2 corner kicks taken within the first five minutes. The IWU defense played tough as well, not allowing Lourdes to advance past half field for most of the 1st period. The first goal of the match came from Anna Pettitt as she dribbled past the defense, recovered the ball after a pass, and scored her first goal of the season. IWU showed their dominance in the first half by firing off 12 shots compared to only 3 for Lourdes with only 1 landing on frame for the Grey Wolves. Early in the second half, Avery Williams pushed the lead to 2 after an assist by Katelyn VanderArk. Three minutes later, Sydney Couch sent a ball towards the net where Williams bumped it past the keeper. The Wildcats kept pressure on for most of the second period and held their 3-0 lead. Just moments after subbing in, freshman Audrey Faletic scored her first career goal after a corner kick bounced around in front of the keeper. Under a minute later, Lourdes scored their only goal of the game after a handball by IWU led to a penalty kick. The final goal of the match came in the 85th minute as Williams completed the hat trick after she put in a ball that was ricocheted around after another shot. IWU defended home field and came away with a convincing 5-1 victory.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind. | IWU Soccer Field
- Records: IWU: 5-1-0 (0-0-0) | LU: 1-1-0 (0-0-0)
- NAIA Top-25 Poll: IWU - #11 | LU - Unranked
WHAT HAPPENED
- Anna Pettitt started the goal scoring for IWU with an unassisted goal in the 22nd minute.
- The Wildcats outplayed Lourdes all around in the first half, taking 12 shots and only allowing 3 with 1 on frame for the Grey Wolves.
- Avery Williams scored her first goal in the 47th minute off of an assist by Katelyn VanderArk.
- Williams found the net again 3 minutes later after a long pass from Sydney Couch bounced in front of the net and the freshman forward bumped it in.
- The Wildcats went up 4-0 when freshman Audrey Faletic scored her first career goal just a handful of seconds after checking in to the game.
- Lourdes put a goal on the board late in the 2nd half after a handball by IWU.
- In the 85th minute, Williams finished off her night with a third goal after scoring on a rebounded ball. The freshman now leads the team with 5 goals on the season.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 5: The Wildcats tied their season high in goals at 5 and Avery Williams has now scored 5 goals on the season, taking the team lead after her hat trick tonight.
- 23: IWU absolutely dominated the point of attack, registering 23 more shots than Lourdes throughout the course of the match.
- 12: The Wildcats took 12 corner kicks and did not allow the Grey Wolves to take any the whole game.
SHAY PERSPECTIVE
- Today was a great opportunity to show the depth of this team," said Head Coach Hannah Shay. "Glad we were able to finish our chances In the second half, and a special shoutout to Audrey Faletic for her first college goal!"
LOOKING FORWARD
- The Wildcats are back in action this Saturday as they travel to take on No. 7 Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- Links for video and stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com.
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