Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College women's soccer team secured a Midwest Conference victory against Monmouth College with a 2-1 win on Tuesday evening. This marks the Lady Blues' first MWC victory of the season, bringing their overall record to 5-6-2 and their conference record to 1-1-1.

The match began with IC aggressively attacking, taking four shots in the first eight minutes. In the eighth minute, Olivia Ralston's shot led to an opportunity when Monmouth's goalkeeper Anna Caster struggled to collect the ball, allowing Kayla Piper to score on the rebound for an early lead.

Darian Blackburn extended IC's lead in the 28th minute with a goal assisted by Haley Sommer. However, Monmouth responded just before halftime with a penalty kick goal by Elizabeth Schmidt, narrowing the gap to 2-1 as both teams headed into halftime.

In the second half, Ralston narrowly missed scoring again when her shot went wide left after dribbling into the attacking zone. Monmouth increased their offensive pressure but was unable to capitalize on opportunities thanks to strong defensive work from IC goalkeeper Sophia Kriegesmann. Notably, Madison Walker of Monmouth missed an open net attempt over the bar in the 65th minute.

Ralston and Sommer were key players for IC, each recording five shots during the match. First-year goalkeeper Kriegesmann delivered an impressive performance with 13 saves, including several diving stops that contributed significantly to securing the win for her team.

The Lady Blues are set to continue their conference play against Lawrence University on Saturday, October 14 at 5:30 PM.