Box Score Elsah, IL. -- Principia women's soccer pleased the home crowd with a 2-1 win over Monmouth College for the team's home opener.
The Panthers started out the match with a strong, organized back line possessing the ball and keeping it on the opponents' side for the majority of the half. Sophomore defender,
Clarice Bruch had an excellent half, reading and intercepting passes and getting into the attack to distribute crosses. Meanwhile, center midfielders
Emelie Fredrikson, Madi Arens, and
Nadine Marczi exposed weaknesses in the attack and acted as the engine driving the game. In the 35th minute, Arens broke through the defense, dribbling across the box and placed her shot with composure in the corner giving Principia the 1-0 lead. Shortly after in the 40th minute,Â
Nadine Marczi made an incredible individual effort beating defenders and scoring with a shot in the upper 90. The half concluded with a 2-0 lead for Prin.Â
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The second half presented new challenges for the home team. Monmouth made changes to their formation so the midfield was difficult to make things happen. In result, Principia started exposing the flanks of the field giving outside midfielders balls to run onto and cross into the box. Unfortunately, in the 75th minute, Monmouth found the back of the net due to a miss clearance coming in from a short corner. The final minutes of play became hectic as both teams scrambled to maintain control. The game concluded with a 2-1 victory for Principia.Â
Women's soccer will travel to Decatur, Illinois this Tuesday to take on Millikin University at 7:00 pm.
