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Cael
5
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU (7-2-3, 5-0-1 CCIW)
2
North Park NPU (3-8-2, 1-3-1 CCIW)
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
(7-2-3, 5-0-1 CCIW)
5
Final
2
North Park NPU
(3-8-2, 1-3-1 CCIW)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 1 4 5
North Park NPU 0 2 2

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

Women’s Soccer Secures 5-2 Victory Over Vikings

Titans remain at the top of the CCIW Standings

CHICAGO - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's soccer teams secured a 5-2 win over North Park University Saturday, Oct. 15 in Chicago. The Titans still remain at the top of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with a 5-0-1 league record and are 7-2-3 overall, while the Vikings shifted to a 1-3-1 CCIW record and 3-8-2 overall. 

The Titans were led by senior Lauren Shanks (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) and fifth-year senior Caleyn Steffens (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community) who registered two goals apiece for four-point nights. Sophomore Tegan Timerman (Peoria, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) earned the Titans fifth and final goal of the game. Senior Jenna Li (Haslett, Mich.-Lansing Christian) and sophomore Amanda Yaeger (New Lenox, Ill.-Lincoln-Way West) earned the helpers during the match. 

Shanks got the Titans off to the right start. Shanks secured an early 1-0 lead just six-minutes into the game. Sophomore Liza Matimore (Gurnee, Ill.-Warren Township) slid senior Li the ball down the line. Li ran past her defender to feed Shanks the ball, right in the sweet-spot of the six-yard box. Shanks controlled the pass and put the ball behind the Vikings keeper.  
 
A quick counter attack looked promising for the Green and White as Steffens dribbled down the middle of the field. After beating a challenging defender, Steffens fed Matimore the ball to beat the defending shape. In the box, the Vikings keeper made the initial save off a Matimore shot, the loose ball was fought over but NPU managed to come out with the ball.  

At the half, IWU led 1-0 and tallied 10 shots compared to NPU's five. The Green and White notched four on target and kept the Viking offense to zero shots on frame. North Park had the edge in corners 3-1 but each attempt was halted by the Titan defense. 

Around seven minutes into the second 45, sophomore defender Yaeger launched a ball to the top of the 18-yard box and found Shanks on the back end of it. Shanks controlled the ball down to her feet, with a defender on her back, she turned and fired off a quick shot, but was stopped by the NPU goalkeeper.   

A handball by the Titans gave the Vikings a free kick opportunity 20 yards out from the IWU goal at the 56:29 mark. An automatic shot just inside the far post tied the game at one-all. However, senior Steffens stepped up to the plate just two minutes later from the Vikings goal. A short pass from Li got the Normal, Ill. native the ball at her feet to do what she does best and blasted a low post-in goal to regain the lead, 2-1. 

A Viking goal kick led to great defending from Yaeger around the 69th minute. Yaeger gave no room for her attacker to turn as she dispossessed the ball off the NPU attacker to find Shanks. The Bloomington, Ill. native took a few touches before shooting the ball into the back of the net once more and widened the lead, 3-1. Shanks' two goals against NPU pushed her total to seven this season which ties her career-high in goals for a single campaign. 

With 75 minutes played, NPU was awarded its fourth corner of the match. This time, the Vikings capitalized and closed the deficit back to a one-goal difference, still in favor of the Titans, 3-2. Similarly, around two minutes after NPU's second goal, Steffens once again stepped up to take back a two-goal lead, 4-2. Matimore found herself in the Vikings 18-yard box but was fouled and drew a penalty kick. Steffens, the Titans leading goal scorer, calmly walked up to the marker and put it away. Steffens has now notched 14 goals alone this season, just four shy from tying the program's record of 18 and beat out her previous IWU record of 13.

Only 36 seconds left on the clock, sophomore Timerman found herself on a breakaway along the right side of the pitch. Timerman shot a long-range ball which soared up and above the Vikings keeper and ended the match, 5-2 for IWU. 

The Green and White ended the 90 minutes of play with a final tally of 21 shots, 13 on goal, compared to North Park's nine shots, two on target. 

The Titans travel to Elmhurst, Ill. Wednesday, Oct. 19 for a CCIW contest against Elmhurst University. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start under the lights. 
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