FULTON, Mo.—The William Woods University women's soccer team extended its winning streak to four in a row on Saturday morning, as the Owls defeated Williams Baptist College, 4-1.
The Owls (7-6-2; 5-3-1 AMC), are now above the .500 mark in its overall record and conference play for the first time this season, which can be attributed to its strong defensive play as of late, while on offense, they totaled three or more goals for the third straight outing.
The scoring got started early and often for William Woods in the first half, as on Senior Day, the senior duo of
Kaitlyn Wideman and
Jordan McNamara connected out of the gate, as Wideman fed a pass in the box for McNamara and she was able to bury her shot into the back of the net, giving WWU a 1-0 lead just three minutes in.
The team continued to dominate play, as they outshot the Lady Eagles (3-9; 1-7 AMC), 20-4. In the 18
th minute, WWU extended its lead out to 2-0, as just before the ball crossed the end line, McNamara was able to cross the ball into the box, which found the foot of
Halle Schroeder, who was able to score her fourth goal on the year.
Then, in the 22
nd minute,
Elyssa Cappaert passed the ball into the 18 yard box for a cutting
Shelby Scanlan, who tipped it past the keeper, then made a cut back move avoiding a defender and she scored her third goal on the season, to make it a commanding 3-0 lead for the Owls.
The offense wasn't done there, as in the 33
rd minute, senior
Desiree Strief passed the ball over to
Rochelle Garcia, who lifted the ball ahead for Scanlan. The freshman was able to again tip the ball under the Lady Eagles goaltender, Kenyonna Brown, and the ball rolled into the back of the net, giving Scanlan four goals on the year and WWU a 4-0 lead heading into the break.
In net, senior
Ashley Parisi, made three stops, while Brown, did what she could in net, making eight saves for WBC.
The pace of the game started to become more even in the second half, as this time around, it was WBC having a shot advantage of 15-13 in the final 45:00 minutes of play.
Both teams' had its share of quality chances, but Parisi came up with five big saves, while Brown, was fantastic in net for Williams Baptist College, as she made eight huge saves in the second half, giving her 16 on the day.
As the clock continued to tick down, William Woods was looking for its second consecutive clean sheet, however, the Lady Eagles offensive push finally paid off. In the 85
th minute, Shelby Hammett, outside the 18 yard box, kicked the ball up in the air near the six yard box for Hannah Whitefoot.
Whitefoot, was then able to bring the ball down, then kick the bouncing ball past Parisi, putting WBC on the board and ending the Owls chance at a shutout. Still, WWU closed out the final minutes of play and were able to secure a three goal victory in front of the home crowd.
The Owls offense totaled a season-high 33 shots in the game and were led by Scanlan having nine of them. Schorder and McNamara each had six, while
Jaclyn Zilch contributed four. Parisi, meanwhile, picked up another victory on the 2015 year, as she made eight saves.
At the conclusion of the game, WWU honored its seven seniors, which included, Parisi, McNamara, Strief,
Mackenzie Cork,
Annie Graber,
Kaitlyn Wideman and
Haley Pipes.
The Owls will look to continue its winning ways in conference play on Wednesday night at Firley Field, as they host Lindenwood University-Belleville, who are currently in third place in the AMC. Kick-off starts at 7 p.m.
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com next Tuesday for a full preview of the game against the Lady Lynx.
