FULTON, Mo. - Playing the inaugural regular season contest on the newly renovated North Campus Athletic Complex pitch, William Woods (1-0) rose to the occasion with three first-half goals in a 4-2 win over Bethel College (1-0) on Saturday. Freshman
Zoe Lockhert tallied the historic first goal at the NCAC in the 12th minute and added an assist as well.
"I'm really proud of the team for getting the first win on the new field," said head coach
Lauren Robb. "It's tough to put all the puzzle pieces together with only 16 days together, but they went out there and got it done. Four goals by four different players is an awesome stat to see as well!"
For a team that has only been together for 16 days, the Owls certainly looked well in sync from the opening whistle. Woods dominated possession, keeping the Threshers on the back foot for most of the first half. WWU's buildup led to a pair of great chances for Lockhert in the eighth and 11th minutes, with
Megan Hughes also putting a solid effort on goal as the 11th wound to a close.
The Owls finally found the net in the 12th minute, as
Zoe Hargis collected a pass from the midfield and dribbled past her defender to the endline. The sophomore lifted a solid cross into the six-yard-box, where Lockhert was standing wide open. From the tail of the s in the "Owls" logo, Lockhert leapt up and nodded the cross into the far side of the net.
Lockhert would turn helper in the 14th minute, as she carried the ball up the right wing and sent a low cross in to the middle, finding
Tess Roberts open for the sitter.
Bethel mustered a brief counterattack in the 16th minute, but the final pass was read well by the Owls back line as they stepped up to draw an offside call.
Woods continued to press the attack, forcing three big saves by the Threshers' Jacie Scott, the last coming in the 37th minute as
Marissa Kiemen tested Scott low.
In the 41st minute, midfielder
Hannah Loethen's decision to return for her final year of eligibility after celebrating her senior day in 2023 paid off big, as the grad student struck for what would be the game-winner. The Owls built up through the midfield, with Loethen spotting
Olivia Menard open on the wing. The pass drew two Bethel defenders, but Menard's one-touch cross found Loethen with acres of space and she headed the ball in stride into the upper left corner of the net.
Woods kept up the pressure after the halftime break, with Lockhert almost getting her second in the 49th minute.
Bethel was able to narrow the deficit to two goals with an opportunistic shot in the 74th minute, but Woods needed just 26 seconds to take back a three-goal lead, as Roberts sent a through ball in from the left wing. The pass snuck through a crowd in the box, finding
Leah Hays on the back post to poke it in.
The Threshers managed to narrow the gap back to two in the 81st minute, but Woods settled in and closed out the contest.
Woods outshot Bethel 11-4 on the afternoon, and earned seven corner kicks to just one for the Threshers. Next up for WWU is a road match at future Heart of America Conference opponent Central Methodist. Kickoff for Wednesday's contest is set for 7 p.m.
