Box Score
FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University women's soccer team had a hard time containing Avila's Caryn Welch as she scored four goals, sparking the Eagles to a 7-1 victory to spoil the Owls season opener on Tuesday evening.
Welch netted four goals against William Woods (0-1-0) for the second straight year, as she achieved the feat in last year's 5-3 Avila University (1-0-0) victory. The Eagles have now won five straight games against the Owls and have took the series lead 5-4-2.
The Eagles found the back of the net during the first 10 minutes of the game, as Welch connected with Jamie Nilica in the box for the goal.
Just two minutes later Avila would strike again, this time Welch was on the scoring end of an Amy Anderson assists giving the Eagles a 2-0 advantage.
Jamie Palermo provided the lone goal for WWU on the evening, scoring on a breakaway that was placed perfectly by Sarah Krispin in the 31st minute. Palermo was an instant spark for the Owls, as she had just entered the game a few minutes prior to her goal to pull her team within a goal at 2-1.
With just 1:23 left in the first half Welch got past the Owls defense yet again and put in her second goal of the half to give the Eagles a 3-1 advantage going into the break.
Avila put in two goals in just a matter of minutes early in the second half as Taylor Geis scored in the 58th minute, followed by Welch's third goal in the 59th minute, giving the Eagles a 5-1 lead.
AU would pad its lead to 6-1 in the 64th minute with Welch's four goal of the night, and Geis' second goal in the 73rd minute sent Avila home with the 7-1 victory.
The Owls faced a stingy defense all night as the Eagles only allowed three shots all night for William Woods.
William Woods will be back in action on Saturday as they host Spring Hill College. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Check back with wwuowls.com for a preview and full recap of this and every game all season.
