Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College women's soccer team began their Midwest Conference season with a match against Knox College on Wednesday night in Jacksonville, Illinois. The game concluded in a 0-0 draw, bringing the Lady Blues to an overall record of 4-5-2 and 0-0-1 in conference play.

During the initial seven minutes, Illinois College (IC) displayed aggressive offensive tactics, attempting four shots. Olivia Ralston contributed two of these attempts, both narrowly missing the net. In the seventh minute, Kayla Piper had a promising breakaway opportunity but her shot struck the lower post.

Midway through the first half, Ralston had another chance to score but her effort was saved by Knox's Carina Escobar. In the 38th minute, Haley Sommer's attempt hit the lower post. Despite a late offensive surge from IC before halftime with three shots on goal, they could not convert any into scores, leaving both teams tied at 0-0 at halftime.

In the second half, IC maintained their offensive pressure with three shots on goal within nine minutes. Sommer had two close chances in the 49th minute but missed just wide each time. Both teams continued to contest throughout the match. Erin O'Connell's shot in the 83rd minute was also saved by Escobar.

Illinois College outshot Knox significantly with a total of 23 attempts compared to Knox's two; eleven of IC's shots were on target. Sommer and Ralston led IC offensively with nine shots each; Sommer recorded six shots on goal. Notably, IC restricted Knox to zero shots during the second half.

Looking ahead, the Lady Blues will continue their Midwest Conference campaign against Grinnell College on Saturday, October 7 at 11:00 AM in Grinnell, Iowa.