FULTON, Mo.—The William Woods University women's soccer team won its first game on the year in front of the home crowd on Saturday afternoon, as the Owls defeated Freed-Hardeman University, 3-1.
Prior to the game, the Owls women's soccer and volleyball team raised awareness for honorary starter Grace Herschelman, who is the now four-year old daughter of Kyle and Mary Herschelman and the niece of WWU head volleyball coach
Monica Herschelman and volunteer women's soccer coach
Daniel Herschelman.
Grace was diagnosed with Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (INAD), which is a rare genetic disorder that affects about 30 children worldwide.
The Owls (5-6-2; 3-3-1 AMC), who are now winners of two in a row, got the scoring started at the 12:47 mark, as
Annie Graber lifted the ball up field for
Jordan McNamara, who had her shot saved by Lady Lion (5-4-1; 2-3-1 AMC), goaltender Lauren Cherry, inside the 18 yard box. The ball, however, got away from her, which allowed
Shelby Scanlan to net her second goal on the year and give WWU a 1-0 lead.
As the clock continued to tick-down, both teams' had their respective chances, as FHU outshot WWU 11-7 in the frame, but both Cherry and
Ashley Parisi commanded their nets, as Parisi made seven saves, while Cherry made five.
The Owls looked to be heading into the break ahead 1-0, but then, with .08 seconds left, Nina Carolissen raced up the left side of the 18 yard box, crossed the ball into the middle, which found Brett Kletke, who tipped the ball in and tied the score up at 1-1.
In the second half, William Woods dominated possession, as Freed-Hardeman from the start of the half and on, couldn't get much going against a stout WWU defense.
The score remained tied until the 75
th minute, as
Elyssa Cappaert dribbled the ball inside the 18 yard box and crossed it inside the six for senior
Jordan McNamara, who was able to win the battle against Cherry and score her team-high fifth goal on the year, to make it a 2-1 lead for WWU.
The Owls put the game away in the 86
th minute, as a corner kick from
Renee Meyer found its way into the box, the ball bounced around, but found the head of
Jaclyn Zilch, who headed it into the back of the net, giving WWU a 3-1 victory.
William Woods totaled 16 shots in the game, led by McNamara, having four. Scanlan had another impressive outing having three shots, while Zilch and
Halle Schroeder totaled two.
In net, the duo of Parisi and
Rebecca Sturgess were dominant yet again, as they combined to make nine saves.
Freed-Hardeman, meanwhile, totaled 17 shots, with Sydney Dubiel, Taylor Woods and Carolisssen, each having five shots a piece.
With the win, the Owls have now jumped up to fifth place overall in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) and will look for its third win in a row, as the team hosts Hannibal-LaGrange University on Tuesday, October 13
th. Kick-off will start at 5 p.m.
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com next Monday for a full preview of the game against the Lady Trojans.
