MARION, Ind. - No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan Women's Soccer hosted the 6 seed Bethel University Pilots in the Crossroads League Tournament Quarterfinal on Tuesday evening. A hard-fought battle ended in the 90th minute when junior Katelyn VanderArk scored the game winner. The Wildcats will travel to Spring Arbor for the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinal on Friday, November 6th.
IWU started the match with a flurry in shots in the first 8 minutes of play. Avery Williams, Alyssa Hamann, and Tylar Whitaker each forced a save from Bethel in that time. Despite 10 shots in the half, the Wildcats did not find the back of the net and the teams entered halftime tied at 0. The second half saw Bethel's first shot in the 54th minute which Avery Sluss easily saved. The two teams battled till the end but with 30 seconds left, Anna Pettitt took a free kick that bounced off the head of Katelyn VanderArk right past the BU goalkeeper to give IWU the 1-0 win.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind. | IWU Soccer Field
- Records: IWU: 15-1-3 (6-1-2) | BU: 9-8-2 (4-5-0)
- NAIA Top 25 Poll: IWU - #3 | BU - Unranked
WHAT HAPPENED
- The Wildcats fired off 10 shots and didn't allow Bethel to register any in the first half but were unable to score.
- Bethel made 4 saves to keep the match tied during the first period.
- IWU kept the pressure on and Sydney Couch shot 5 of her 7 total in the second half with a few close calls.
- The final minute saw the game winning goal from Katelyn VanderArk assisted by Anna Pettitt.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 7: Katelyn VanderArk scored her 7th goal of the season and Sydney Couch led the team with 7 shots.
- 6: Anna Pettitt recorded her 6th assist of the season, a team high.
- 15: The Wildcats have achieved 15 wins in back-to-back seasons.
VANDERARK PERSPECTIVE
- "Wow. What an awesome game with my best friends," said the goal scorer Katelyn VanderArk. "It's honestly surreal, and we battled until the last minute. I couldn't do it without every single girl on this team! Let's keep it going!"
LOOKING FORWARD
- IWU will play in the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinal against 2 seed Spring Arbor on November 6th at 7:00 PM.
- Links for video, and stats are available at IWUWildcats.com.
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