FRIDAY'S SCORE
@St. Thomas 2,
Western Illinois 0
ST. THOMAS 2, WESTERN ILLINOIS 0
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Western Illinois University Women's Soccer kicked off their sixth match of the 2024 season on Friday afternoon, taking on former Summit League foe St. Thomas.
St. Thomas got a pair of goals early on, scoring in both the eleventh and eighteenth minutes. The Tommies dominated the Leathernecks in the first period, recording ten shots and five on goal. The home side won the first half corner battle, four to nothing. Leatherneck goalkeeper Ariel Bernard recorded three saves before the break, and finished the match with six.
Towards the end of the first half, Western Illinois saw their first real chance of the game, with Kayla Turner & Rita Moran showcasing some solid build-up play. Moran's shot in the 44th minute was calmly saved as the Tommies took a two-nil lead into the break.
St. Thomas kept the pressure for nearly the entire second half, peppering the WIU net with 12 second-half shots, but the two-nil score held until the final whistle. With five minutes to go, Western Illinois got their best chance of the period, as Kayla Turner made a run on the left side and fired in a cross, but it was poorly received.
The Leathernecks lost the shot battle 22-2, and the shot on goal battle 8-1. The Tommies had eight corner attempts to Western's zero.