Contact: Tyler Friel, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

Box Score

Oct. 21, 2015 - A slow start to the offense combined with a defense that was tested all evening proved too much for the North Central College women's soccer team as they fell 2-1 to Augustana College in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) matchup Wednesday night at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. 

North Central found themselves exhibiting a defensive strategy in the first half as they were outshot 13-4, with a majority of their opponent's shots being on goal. The first goal of the match came in the 22^nd minute as Augustana's Kelly Farell scored on a shot that nudged the left post and rolled into the goal. Despite the low offensive output, the Cardinals (7-7, 2-2) scored a goal of their own as Victoria Stutzman found the back of the net off of an Emily Gaither assist. The teams would go into halftime locked at one goal apiece.

The Cardinals got the spark it needed as the teams seemed to switch roles in the second half. North Central showed what their offense is capable of as they logged a 10-4 shot advantage in the period, however, not a single one of those shots found the net. The Vikings (12-3-1, 2-1-1) took the lead in the 82^nd minute as Jessa Rizzo dribbled down the middle of the field and tallied the game-winning goal.

The Cardinals were outshot 17-14 and 12-10 in shots on goal, but showed that they have the ability to compete with previous CCIW tournament contenders. Stutzman logged her fourth goal of the season while Gaither recorded her second assist on the year.

North Central travels to Wheaton College on Saturday, October 24^th with kickoff at 4:30 pm. Live stats and video can be found HERE