ABERDEEN, S.D. -- The Northwestern College women's soccer team (5-10-1, 2-7-1 GPAC) traveled to Aberdeen, S.D. to take on the Saints of Presentation College (2-9-1, 1-8 GPAC) in a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) match. The Raiders battled the Saints as well as unfavorable weather conditions but came away with the 2-1 win.
Head Coach
Shannon Andringa had this to say about today's match, "Today was an ugly game. The weather made for unideal conditions that didn't allow either team to play their brand of soccer. The girls showed grit and made the best of what we had. Keslie has been waiting to put the ball in the back of the net all season and I'm proud her efforts finally paid off today."
The Raiders kicked off the scoring early with a fifth minute goal by junior
Keslie Paul (Frisco, Texas/Reedy). Paul found the back of the net for her first goal of the season off of a
Julie Dunlap (Jr., Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling Catholic) assist. Minutes later Paul would strike again for her second goal of the match giving the Raiders a 2-0 advantage. This time assisted by senior
Emily Hurley (Pleasant Hill, Iowa/Grand View Christian). The Saints would not go away without a fight, Delainey Williams would answer with a goal of her own to make the score 2-1. Presentation made a big offensive push at the end of the half but junior keeper
Kaelin Alons (Orange City, Iowa/Unity Christian) made multiple saves to keep the score in Northwestern's favor.
The second half saw sloppy play from both sides as the elements continued to make life difficult. Wind gusts over 20 miles per hour mixed with heavy rain and low temperatures did not allow for either team to be able to pass effectively or find any sort of rhythm. As field conditions worsened the Saints offense continued to try and tie the game with multiple shot attempts. Alons and the defense continued to lock down the Saints offense and kept the score at 2-1 in the Raiders favor as time ran out.
For the game the Raiders were out shot 14-7, Northwestern was able to get five of those shot attempts on frame. Alons had a strong performance in the net tallying eight saves on the day.
Up Next: The Raiders return home to the NWC Soccer Complex for a matchup against GPAC foe Hastings College on Saturday, Oct. 23, with kickoff set for 2:00 p.m. Prior to the match there will be a time to recognize this year's seniors.
