ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's soccer team dropped its first contest of the season, 4-1, to No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis Tuesday, Oct. 13. The Titans (7-1-5) gave up three goals in the first half to the undefeated Bears (13-0), before WashU closed the door with a late second half goal.
The Bears were off to a quick start against the Titans. Just three minutes into the contest, a foul in the Titans' box would reward WashU with a penalty kick that would make it 1-nil.
The Bears pushed through to score another goal in the 15th minute and tacked on an insurance goal to make it 3-nil.
The Titans had five shots, four on goal compared to the Bears' 12 shots, six on goal during the first 45.
IWU came into the second half looking to cut into the Bears' lead. Junior Liza Wiley (Bloomington, Ind.-Home School) took a shot in the 50th minute but missed high. The Titans kept pushing in WashU's box when IWU was awarded a free kick. Sophomore Emma Henry (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) took the kick, but her shot was saved by WashU's Charlotte Shapiro. Freshman Milania Mirjanic (Vernon Hills, Ill.-Vernon Hills) rebounded the attempt to cut the deficit 3-1 in the 68th minute for her first career goal.
WashU got it back in the 83rd minute with a goal off a free kick for a 4-1 advantage.
The Titans ended with 12 shots and seven on target compared to WashU's 16 shots with eight on target. Senior Adriana Ruffolo (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Glenbard North) had four saves, while the Bears tallied six.
The Titans resume College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play Saturday, Oct. 17 at Carroll University with kickoff slated for 1 p.m. Live coverage of the event can be accessed here.
