Chicago, Ill. — Kayla Smith had a pair of first half goals,
Grace Yager scored her first collegiate goal in the second half, as Illinois Tech Women's Soccer(1-0-0, 0-0-0) secured a decisive 3-0 victory over North Park University (1-1-0, 0-0-0) on Sunday afternoon at Stuart Field.
Illinois Tech took an early lead in the first half with
Kayla Smith scoring in the 3rd minute, assisted by
Tvesa Vathulya. The team maintained offensive pressure throughout the half, creating multiple opportunities, including shots by
Eva Narvarte and
Taylor Hernandez, both of which were saved by Vikings goalkeeper Paige MacRitchie. Smith extended the Scarlet Hawks' lead in the 20th minute with her second goal of the half, assisted by Hernandez, leaving the score 2-0 at the end of the half.
Illinois Tech opened the second half with aggressive offensive efforts, as Hernandez quickly put pressure on North Park's defense with a shot in the 46th minute, followed by Yager's attempt in the 49th minute. The persistent attack paid off when Yager scored in the 58th minute, extending Illinois Tech's lead to 3-0. Despite multiple shots from Hernandez and others throughout the half, MacRitchie of North Park managed several saves to prevent further scoring.
"With this being the first game of the season, it was good to earn a win," said Head Coach
Roshane Ellison. "The result is good however we will continue to focus on the process of getting better."
Illinois Tech Top Performers
Kayla Smith
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- two goals
- three shots
- three shots on goal
- one game-winning goal
Taylor Hernandez
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- one assist
- seven shots
- four shots on goal
Grace Yager
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- one goal
- three shots
- two shots on goal
North Park Top Performers
MacRitchie, Paige
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- 15 saves
Sjøstedt, Caroline
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- 1 shot
Lie, Stine
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- 1 shot, 1 on goal
Illinois Tech improved to 1-0-0 following their victory. The loss left North Park at 1-1-0 on the season.
Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks welcome North Central College to Stuart Field this Wednesday, September 3rd at 7pm for a non-conference game and rematch of their first round NCAA match last November 16th, a 3-1 victory for the Hawks.
