Westmont Women's Soccer exploded for three second half goals and produced its third shutout in a row as the Warriors posted a 4-0 win over the Bearcats of McKendree (Ill.) on Saturday. In four games so far this season, the 3-1 Warriors have outscored their opponents 10-2.
"This is probably the best performance we have had so far this year," said Westmont head coach Kristi Kiely. "What we mostly appreciate is that the focus and energy didn't die off no matter who was in the game. We were able to get everyone on the field, which is always a fun thing to do. We had decent chances and good strong defense even with everyone in.
It did not take long for the Warriors to demonstrate they had come to play. Junior captain Aolani Rueff scored from 12 yards out in just the second minute of play. During a scrum in the front of the Bearcats' net, Rueff found herself the recipient of the ball and knew just what to do with it – bury it in the back of the net. Rueff's goal would prove to be the only one of the first half.
The second half turned out to be a different story. In the space of eighty-two seconds, Ashley Correa scored twice more for the Warriors. Correa's first goal came in the sixtieth minute off an assist from freshman Mallory Mitchell. She then scored unassisted in the sixty-second minute.
"Ashley has been working hard on putting the ball in the net," said Kiely. "I think this was probably her best game at Westmont. She had a little bit more fight to her and was working hard off the goal. She played a ball into Mallory, and then Mallory worked it down the line and played it back to her for the finish. It was great work on Ashley's end and I'm glad to see her with two goals and an assist."
In the sixty-sixth minute, Correa fed the ball to Mitchell who made it a 4-0 game by scoring her team-leading fourth goal of the season.
Next weekend, the Warriors will travel to Ashland, Oregon to play two games at Southern Oregon University. On Friday, September 16, the Warriors will take on the host Raiders. Then on Saturday, Westmont will face off against #8 Concordia (Ore.). Both games are scheduled for a one o'clock kick-off.
"We are looking forward to playing number eight in the country. Concordia (Ore.) is coming off a loss to Concordia (Calif.) and a win over The Master's. When it comes to playing GSAC teams, Concordia (Ore.) is always going to be fired up and ready to go. We have always showed them a good game, especially up there. We are looking at playing number eight in the country."
