ELSAH, IL – The Principia Women's Soccer team hosted Maryville College from Tennessee for a non-conference clash on a hot Saturday afternoon. The strong attack of the Scots had the Panthers under fire all game, taking over 40 shots and coming away with a 4-0 win over Principia.
Goalkeeper
Christin Walls was the Panthers' star of the game as she made 18 saves, which is tied for 4th most in a game in program history. She made numerous athletic saves and her elite play kept the score closer than it could have been. Captain
Olivia Scott organized and led from the back while the Panthers battled against fatigue in the heat. Late in the game,
Zayana Brown had two goal-saving slide tackles that were perfectly timed. Freshmen
Haley Rudd and
Mafe Quintero showed tremendous growth in only their second ever college soccer games and glimpses of the future impact both will continue to have.
With these early-season games under their legs, the team's understanding of relationships between individuals and positions is strengthening. This weekend was an opportunity to play two very strong programs from this region that Principia hasn't played in recent years, so the team is looking forward to some more familiar opponents in the coming weeks. The Panthers' togetherness is solidifying as they show off their depth of grit and resilience.
Coach Thomas said afterwards, "Maryville's depth and strength of roster was a huge test for us to try to keep pace with. Goals win games and they have a few players who can flat out score. Keeping the first half to only 1-0 was a great display of our organization, and I thought our defense frustrated them given how much of the ball they commanded. Unfortunately, we ran out of legs in the second half having played yesterday, but it's exciting to know that we are fit and organized enough to play three high-tempo halves in a row before we finally begin to show cracks. We're looking forward to our next test against IC!"
Up Next: The Panthers will travel to Jacksonville, IL on Wednesday evening to face Illinois College at 7:00 pm.
Hear more comments from Coach Thomas after the game:
