Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College women's soccer team secured a significant victory in the Midwest Conference by defeating Cornell 3-1 on Thursday at the Cornell Soccer Stadium. This win keeps their hopes alive for a spot in the 2024 Midwest Conference Tournament.

Illinois College now holds an overall record of 10-5-3 and is 2-3-2 in conference play. Meanwhile, Cornell's record fell to 2-12-1 overall and 1-5-1 in the conference.

The Lady Blues took an early lead with Abby Love scoring at the 40:26 mark, marking the only goal of the first half. In the second half, Illinois College extended their lead with two quick goals. Haley Sommer scored her 11th goal of the season at 48:52, assisted by Olivia Ralston. Aliza Rodriguez added another goal at 54:42, again assisted by Ralston, bringing the score to 3-0.

Cornell managed to score at the 66:33 mark, but Illinois College maintained their defense for the remainder of the game. The Lady Blues dominated offensively, out-shooting Cornell 22-4. Sommer led with five shots, while Love and Abbi Renwick each had four, and Ralston contributed three.

Sophia Kriegesmann played as goalkeeper throughout the match and made three saves.

This season marks only the second time that Illinois College has achieved a double-digit win total; they previously set a school record with 11 wins in 2014.

The Lady Blues will conclude their regular season on Saturday when they host Beloit. The match is scheduled for Senior Day at 1:30 p.m., with a potential berth in the Midwest Conference Tournament on the line.