Contact: Tyler Bremner, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

WAUKESHA, WI. (Sept. 28, 2024) – The North Central College women's soccer team fell late in their first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) matchup of the 2024 season. A late Carroll University goal pushed a 2-1 lead to seal the Cardinal's third loss of the season.

Starting the match, Elle Sutter broke away five minutes in for the first shot on goal, which Caitlin Fitzsimons narrowly saved as Carroll's (3-4-2, 1-0 CCIW) goalkeeper. North Central (8-3, 0-1 CCIW) kept the pressure on as Kassandra Salviola fired off another shot under two minutes later.

The Cardinals went on to shoot another five times off target to the Pioneer's one within the next twenty minutes. In the 30th minute, Fitzsimons was forced to fend off another North Central shot from Salviola.

Both offenses continued to battle for possession trading a shot each over the next ten minutes until Grace Tumilty scored a goal past Olivia Mattison to force a 1-0 lead. Gabriella Mattio attempted to tie the game in the final twenty seconds of the half, but the shot was off target.

Coming out of halftime, the Cardinals looked to flip the script firing off two shots in the first five minutes. It took over twenty-three minutes into the second period for North Central to put a shot on target as Brooke Nelson forced Fitzsimons' third save of the match.

The Pioneers felt the pressure again in the 75th minute when a costly penalty gave Sutter a penalty-kick attempt to tie the game which Fitzsimons again narrowly saved. Under sixty seconds later a gap would open for Sarah Andrey to assist Salviola in tying the game.

With the scoreboard set at 1-1, Sutter tried again twice with a wide shot in the 77th minute and another forced save in the 78th minute. A shot from Madison DeVriendt four minutes later marked the end of the Cardinal shooting attempts. The final Carroll goal came from a costly penalty that gave Mari Sagstad the game winning goal with five minutes remaining.

In total, the Cardinals outshot the Pioneers twenty to four but failed to break through the Pioneer defense. On the defensive end, Mattison tallied no saves throughout ninety minutes in her seventh game as a starter.

North Central faces a familiar foe in their final non-conference match on Tuesday. They battle the University of Chicago Maroons who were their first and final opponent last season in the NCAA tournament. Access the full schedule HERE.

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