BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — A dominant first half with a senior day brace by senior Sophie Lampert (Hudson, Ill- Normal West), propelled the Illinois Wesleyan University women's soccer team in a 6-1 win over Westminster at Neis Field Saturday, Sept. 12. Saturday's contest recognized four seniors: Lampert,
Ava Mapes (Golden, Colo- Lakewood),
Alexis Shackelford (Orland Park, Ill- Marist), and
Adriana Ruffolo (Bloomingdale, Ill- Glenbard North).
The Titans put immediate pressure on the Blue Jay defense with a shot by junior, Liza Wiley (Bloomington, Ind- Home School) 17 seconds into the contest. IWU kept the pressure with back-to-back blocked shots by Lampert and Mapes.
The Green and White showed persistence in the box until a penalty by the Blue Jays gave Mapes a penalty kick. Mapes shot deep in the left corner of the goal to give the Titans a 1-0 lead.
The Titans found their rhythm 23 minutes into the half when Lampert scored deep in the box with an assist by junior Ellen Dahlquist (Peoria, Ill- Peoria Notre Dame) to boost the margin to 2-0. Illinois Wesleyan continued to assert dominance over the Blue Jays as junior
Maggie McGuire (Belleville, Ill- Belleville Township East) passed to freshman
Peyton McMahon (Lakewood, Ill- Crystal Lake Central) wide outside the box. McMahon drilled the ball deep in the upper left corner of the goal for a 3-0 lead.
The seniors continued to shine on senior day with Lampert seeing her first brace of the season in the last five minutes of the half with an assist by sophomore Zoe Kormah (Pekin, Ill- Pekin Community). The Titans ended the half with 17 shots compared to Blue Jays five. Westminster saw eight saves compared to IWU's two.
The Blue Jays came back after the halftime break with more pressure on the Titan's back line. Five minutes in, Westminster knocked one in to cut the deficit to 4-1.
The Titans weren't fazed as Mapes answered back with her own brace at 61 minutes with an assist by Dahlquist. Mapes continued her scoring streak to secure her first hat trick of the season just a short four minutes later at 65:50.
In a physical battle to come back, the Blue Jays pushed the Titans' back line in the last ten minutes. However, the Titans defense held strong against Westminster to close the door on a dominant 6-1 win.
The Titans accumulated 27 shots compared to the Blue Jays 15. The Titans had 7 saves compared to the Blue Jays 13. Ruffolo led the Green and White's three goalies with five saves.
The Titans continue to keep their unbeaten streak alive for the first time since 2015, when the team made it to the NCAA Tournament.
IWU will be back at Neis Field Tuesday, Sept. 15 against Knox College for Invite a Professor Night. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Live coverage can be accessed here.
