Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College women's soccer team secured their first Midwest Conference victory of the season with a 2-1 win over Monmouth. The match took place on Wednesday afternoon at Peacock Memorial Athletic Park in Monmouth, Illinois.

With this victory, Illinois College improved to an overall record of 9-3-3 and a conference record of 1-1-2. Monmouth's record fell to 3-7-2 overall and 1-2-1 in the conference.

The game started with quick offensive action. Aliza Rodriguez put the Lady Blues ahead early by scoring just over six minutes into the match, assisted by Haley Sommer. Monmouth responded swiftly when Jaden Stockton equalized less than a minute later.

Both teams remained scoreless for the rest of the first period. The decisive moment came at the 59:59 mark when Sommer scored a penalty kick, securing the win for Illinois College.

Stella Gonzalez began as goalkeeper for Illinois College, making four saves before Sophia Kriegesmann took over for the final portion of the game, adding two more saves to her team's effort.

Sommer led the Lady Blues' offense with five shots along with her goal and assist. Abbi Renwick contributed four shots while Olivia Ralston and Rodriguez each added two.

This win marks an important milestone for Illinois College's women's soccer team, achieving their second-highest single-season win total in program history, trailing only behind their 2014 record-setting season with eleven wins.

Looking ahead, the Lady Blues will continue their away games this weekend as they face Lawrence in another Midwest Conference matchup on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.