McLean County Times

Illinois Wesleyan University's women's soccer team was narrowly defeated by North Central College, 2-1, in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) match held Wednesday night at Neis Field in Bloomington, Illinois. The Titans' record moves to 7-7-2 overall and 2-3-1 in conference play, while North Central remains undefeated in the CCIW at 6-0-0 and improves to 11-5-0 on the season.

North Central led the match in total shots, outshooting Illinois Wesleyan 21 to 15, and also had a slight edge in shots on target, 10 to 8. Titans' sophomore goalkeeper Vanessa Gray made eight saves during the game, coming within one save of her career high. The Cardinals also took nine corner kicks compared to the Titans' four, with six of those corners occurring in the first half.

The Cardinals opened scoring early after back-to-back corner kicks. Illinois Wesleyan initially defended well, but a header from Kassandra Salviola put North Central ahead 1-0.

Illinois Wesleyan nearly equalized in the 16th minute when sophomore Liza Wiley took a shot on goal following a throw-in, but North Central's goalkeeper Lily Mattison made the save. Further attempts by sophomores Taylor Haun and Ellen Dahlquist were also stopped by Mattison, keeping North Central in front.

North Central extended its lead to 2-0 in the 33rd minute when Victoria Jaimes scored off a pass from midfield.

Illinois Wesleyan responded early in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Taylor Haun advanced down the sideline and passed to Wiley, who delivered a cross into the box. Junior Ava Mapes headed the ball into the net for her fifth goal of the season, bringing the Titans within one goal.

With the score at 2-1, Gray made a key save with 17 minutes left to prevent North Central from increasing its lead. Illinois Wesleyan continued to press for an equalizer, earning a free kick in the final two minutes but was unable to convert, resulting in a 2-1 loss.

Illinois Wesleyan will next play on the road against Carroll University on Saturday, October 25, at Schneider Stadium. The match is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start and will be followed by a men's soccer game.