MARION, Ind. - No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan Women's Soccer played the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) on Saturday for their second of three straight home matches. It was Senior Day for IWU as well, as they celebrated Makaela Wiggershaus, Avery Sluss, Anna Pettitt, Aliyah Denton, Sydney Couch, Julia Tiemann, and Alyssa Hamann for their time in the program. The Wildcats took down the Cougars, 4-0, as all four goals were scored by seniors.
The first of the seniors to score was Anna Pettitt on a Sam Anderson corner kick in the 9th minute. Pettitt's goal was the first of 2026 for her. The Wildcats put on tons of pressure throughout the rest of the first half with 20 shots but were unable to find another goal. After halftime concluded, IWU scored early in the second half. In her first game back from injury since September 23rd, Aliyah Denton scored on an assist from Pettitt in the 47th minute. Right after the turn of the 61st minute, no. 14 Alyssa Hamann scored her 14th goal of the season assisted by Tylar Whitaker. Sydney Couch put in the final goal by striking one through the hands of the keeper. That goal gives Couch a career-high for goals in a season at 6.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind. | IWU Soccer Field
- Records: IWU: 13-1-2 (5-1-1) | USF: 6-10-0 (0-7-0)
- NAIA Top 25 Poll: IWU - #3 | USF - Unranked
WHAT HAPPENED
- The first corner kick of the match produced the first goal of the match in the 9th minute when Sam Anderson connected with fellow defender Anna Pettitt for Pettitt's first goal of the year.
- Aliyah Denton scored early in the second half as Pettitt picked up the assist.
- Alyssa Hamann extended her goal streak to 4 straight games with one in the 61st minute, assisted by Tylar Whitaker.
- Another goal streak was extended by Sydney Couch as she earned her 3rd in as many games in the 83rd minute.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 4: Lots of 4's came from today's match. Alyssa Hamann has scored in 4 straight games, the Wildcats won 4-0, the Wildcats have won 4 straight (all shutouts), Sam Anderson picked up her 4th assist of the year, and Anna Pettitt recorded her 4th assist in the last 3 games.
- 6: Sydney Couch scored her 6th goal of the campaign, a new career-high for goals in a season.
- 34: The Wildcats fired off 34 shots compared to only 2 for Saint Francis.
COUCH PERSPECTIVE
- "Scoring on senior day was such a special moment, but it was truly a team effort," said Sydney Couch. "It's been so much fun playing alongside my teammates for something bigger than ourselves and being part of a team that celebrates each other so well. Looking back on these four seasons, I'm so grateful for the Lord's faithfulness and that this program is built on a firm foundation of Christ. I'm thankful for the ways He has used this team to shape me both on and off the field!
LOOKING FORWARD
- The Wildcats play in their final home regular season game next Saturday against No. 5 Marian at 1:00 PM.
- Links for tickets, video, and stats are available at IWUWildcats.com.
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