Contact:
Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5302
DANVILLE, Ky. – The North Central College women's soccer team battled in a high-scoring match against Centre College in Danville, Ky. Friday, Sept. 19, as the Cardinals took a 3-2 loss to open their two-game weekend. North Central slips to a 3-4 record on the season while Centre climbs to 7-0-1.
Centre took an early 1-0 lead in the second minute of play but North Central was quick to respond. With the Cardinals set up for a free kick near midfield just 30 seconds off the restart,
Brooke Nelson sent a long ball into the box where
Gabriella Mattio finished it to level the score at 1-1.
Cardinal goalkeeper
Lily Mattison faced a one-on-one situation with a Centre forward, saving the initial shot but was unable to corral the ball before Centre's Riley Givens capitalized on the rebound shot as the Colonels moved ahead 2-1. North Central's
Cydnie Bayless and
Kara Waishwell both put shots on goal in an effort to tie the match before halftime, but both attempts were stopped by the Centre goalie.
The Cardinals did not waste any time out of the break. Just 22 seconds into the second half,
Jordan Lange fired a shot that resulted in a corner kick. Lange then serviced the ball in perfect placement for
Mackenzie Loomis to deliver a header to the top of the goal to even the score at 2-2 in the 46th minute.
The Cardinals had a near-goal in the 52nd minute with
Madison DeVriendt controlling the action on the wing and sent a cross to Waishwell, but the shot was saved by the Colonels back line. Centre used a corner kick in the 60th minute to gain a 3-2 lead as the Colonels sent it in to the opposite side of the box and was chipped in by Givens.
With eight minutes remaining, Centre dropped nearly all of its players back to defend. DeVriendt managed to draw out the Colonels' keeper with just 18 seconds on the clock, but the shot was cleared off the line by a Centre defender to seal the 3-2 win.
North Central led in total shots 12-10, and placed eight on goal compared Centre's four. Both teams earned four corner kick opportunities. Centre's keeper recorded six saves, while Mattison notched one. Five different Cardinals registered shots on goal with Mattio and Loomis scoring North Central's two goals, marking Mattio's second goal of the season and Loomis' first.
North Central looks ahead to Sunday, Sept. 21 for their next contest as they head to Hanover, Ind. for a non-conference match against Hanover College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET at Hanover's Soccer Complex.
