Rachel White Women's soccer vs. Millikin

Women’s Soccer to Take on Augie in Midweek Matchup

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Neis Field

10/4/2022 2:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's soccer team will host its third out of four straight home matches Wednesday, Oct. 5 against Augustana College. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff under the lights at Neis Field. The Titans (5-1-2) are atop the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin leaderboard at 3-0 as Augustana (6-3-2) sits at 1-0-1 in the league and in the middle of the pack.

In the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll, The Green and White are receiving votes. Announced Tuesday, Oct. 4 only the Titans and North Central College, ranked No. 20, were recognized by the committee.

The Titans are coming off a hot start to conference play. A combination of a dangerous offensive presence and a strong defense has given IWU an edge. Over the last three games, IWU has scored 15 goals, let up zero, and outshot its opponents 82-16 (40-7 shots on goal).

Fifth-year senior Rachel White (Naperville, Ill.-Waubonsie Valley) and sophomore Liza Matimore (Gurnee, Ill.-Warren Township) swept the CCIW Player of the Week accolades, Tuesday, Oct. 4. Matimore registered 10 points over the span of two games credited to a seven-point showing against Millikin, Sept. 28 and a three-point game against Wheaton Oct. 1. In the sophomore's seven-point field day, Matimore tallied her first-career hat trick, the game-winning goal, and an assist. White notched her first assist of the season as an outside back and helped the Titans to back-to-back shutouts, keeping both the Thunder and Big Blue to a combined nine shots.

IWU is on a four-game shutout streak as sophomore goalkeeper Kayla Borg (McHenry, Ill.-Cary Grove) has advanced her no goal run to a total of 441 minutes. Borg sits at the top of the CCIW in goals against average (.750), save percentage (.842), and shutouts per game (.500). In addition to Borg, the Titan defense has stood strong. Fifth year-seniors and defenders, White and Madison Fischer (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) tallied an assist each against Wheaton. Fellow fifth-year senior Heather Dietrich (Geneseo, Ill.-Geneseo) has made her presence known in the back line as the only defender to play the full 180 minutes over the last two games.

Offensively, the Titans are led by fifth-year senior Caelyn Steffens (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community) with a total of 22 points on the season. Against Wheaton Steffens tallied her fifth-career hat trick in addition to two goals and one assist against Millikin for an impressive 11 points within one week. Senior Lauren Shanks (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) adds to the Titan offense with a total of 12 points on the season. Against CCIW opponents, Shanks has tallied two goals and three assists for seven points. Freshman Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) has also made an impact for the Titans, in the last three games the freshman playmaker has notched four assists.

THe Titans are undefeated in CCIW play, while the Vikings will enter Bloomington with a no-loss record as well. Most recently, Augustana faced Carthage College, Oct. 1 where the Vikings went on to win, 2-0. The history between the Titans and Vikings dates back to 1994. IWU holds the all-time series advantage 18-9-8, with the Green and White on a four-game win streak against Augie. Most recently, IWU defeated the Vikings 2-1 last season Oct. 21, 2021 in Bloomington.

The game will be available via live stats and live stream. The live stream can be accessed here and live stats can be found here.

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