Press Conference
LA CROSSE, Wis. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's soccer team began its postseason journey with a dominant 5-2 victory over Concordia University-Wisconsin in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament Friday night, Nov. 11, on the campus of University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Titans (11-4-3) used four first-half goals, including one in the second minute, to end the Falcons' (17-4-2) season and advanced to the second round.
Illinois Wesleyan will play No. 13 UW-La Crosse tomorrow, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m. with a "Sweet Sixteen" berth on the line. The game will be a rematch of a Sept. 11 meeting, where the Titans edged the Eagles, 2-1, giving UWL its only loss of the season to date.
Illinois Wesleyan's five goals are the second-most in a NCAA Tournament game in program history. The Titans high-scoring showing marked the most by the squad in a national tournament contest since blanking Westminster, 7-nil, in the opening round of the 2015 tournament.
The Titans wasted little time as a speedy run by Lauren Shanks (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) led to the first goal of the match, just seconds into the match. Shanks beat her defender down the sideline before laying off a ball across the middle of the 18, where fifth-year senior
Caelyn Steffens (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community) hammered it home in the second minute.
Steffens' 20th goal of the season gave IWU an early lead, but Concordia-Wisconsin responded with a score of its own off the ensuing restart.
With the match even at one, freshman Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) gained possession and quickly switched the field with a pass to fifth-year senior
Madison Fischer (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) on the far side. After racing it up the sideline, Fischer played a ball out to Steffens, who quickly delivered a ball across the six for Fischer to finish off. The goal, which was the first of the season for Fischer, reclaimed a 2-1 Titan lead.
Illinois Wesleyan tacked on two more before the end of the first 45, with the next goal coming in the 18th minute. With three Falcons converging on her, Steffens delivered a pass to the boot of sophomore Liza Matimore (Gurnee, Ill.-Warren Township) in the middle of the box. Managing to get a touch on it, the sophomore deflected the pass to Shanks for IWU's third goal of the evening.
Up 3-1 with the announcer counting down the final seconds of the opening half, chaos in the box ultimately resulted in a goal by sophomore Tegan Timerman (Peoria, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) to give the Green and White a 4-1 edge at the break.
In the second half, Steffens lifted a free kick over the wall and tucked it inside the near post, despite a strong effort by the CUW keeper to up IWU's lead to four, 5-1.
Moments after a clutch diving save by sophomore Kayla Borg (McHenry, Ill.-Cary Grove), the Falcons broke through on an IWU miscue in the midfield. Borg finished the game with five saves, including four in the second half.
With IWU in front, Borg made another outstanding save around the 80-minute mark as the Titans held off the Falcons' final push for a 5-2 victory.
