ELSAH, IL – After the game was moved from August 30th due to weather, the Principia College women's soccer team hosted the Illinois College Lady Blues on Thursday evening. Despite an overall improved performance from their season opener, the Panthers were unable to get on the score sheet for the second straight game, falling 2-0.
Illinois College applied early pressure, but Principia stood strong for most of the first half, with Panthers goalkeeper Christin Walls making several key stops to keep the game scoreless. The Lady Blues finally broke through near the end of the first half with a tally by Kayla Serpa. Then just seven minutes into the second half, Holly Morehart doubled IC's lead, pouncing on a rebound after Walls made a brilliant diving save.
Despite the deficit, Principia's defense held firm for the remainder of the match. Mirsa Boyer and Zayana Brown were standouts on defense, making crucial tackles and intercepting passes to deny the Lady Blues further opportunities. Walls finished the game with 15 saves, just three off her career high from last season. After two games, she is now averaging 12.5 saves per game.
While the Panthers' attack was largely neutralized by a well-organized IC defense, they showed moments of promise in possession but were unable to break through in the final third. They will look to find their scoring touch with two home matches in the coming week against NAIA opponents. First up is Brescia University (KY) on Saturday kicking off at noon. Come out and support your Panthers!
