River Forest, Ill. — Despite outshooting Concordia Chicago by a wide margin, Illinois Tech women's soccer needed just one goal to overcome a pesky effort by the Cougars on Wednesday afternoon, with
Gabriella Baltes scoring on a header off a corner kick in the 61st minute to give the Scarlet Hawks a 1-0 conference road victory. The Hawks dominated the match with 30 shots, including 9 on target, while the Cougars managed only 3 shots.
Illinois Tech advanced to 7-0-1 overall and remained undefeated at 3-0-0 in conference play. Concordia Chicago fell to 1-8-1 overall and 1-2-0 in conference competition.
The first half began with Illinois Tech demonstrating strong offensive efforts, quickly testing the Cougars' defense.
Eva Narvarte and
Grace Yager each took early shots, although neither found the target. The Scarlet Hawks maintained pressure, with
Tvesa Vathulya and
Kayla Smith also firing attempts that were saved by Concordia Chicago's goalkeeper, Brooke Sheriff.
Defensively, the Scarlet Hawks stood firm as
Kayla Hampton made crucial saves to keep the score level. Despite several corner kicks and shots from
Allison Murray and
Taylor Hernandez, Illinois Tech was unable to break through before the end of the half. The half concluded with a 0-0 score, as both teams remained in a deadlock heading into the break.
Illinois Tech's second half began with a determined offensive effort, culminating in the goal by Baltes at the 60:56 mark. The play was set up by a corner kick from
Grace Yager, whose kick lofted perfectly into the middle of the box, where a cutting Baltes headed it into the back of the net for a 1-0 Illinois Tech lead. The Scarlet Hawks maintained pressure throughout the second half, with multiple shots on goal, with Hernandez and
Kelly Hitchcock generating opportunities that tested Concordia Chicago's defense. Despite several offside calls and fouls that disrupted the flow of the game, the lone goal by Baltes proved decisive as the Hawks kept the Cougars scoreless, sealing the 1-0 victory.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Hampton, Kayla
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- two saves
- one shutout
Baltes, Gabriella
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- one goal
- one game-winning goal
- two shots
Yager, Grace
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- one assist
- three shots
- one shot on goal
Hernandez, Taylor
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- seven shots
- one shot on goal
Vathulya, Tvesa
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- four shots
- two shots on goal
Concordia Chicago Top Performers
Brooke Sheriff
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- 8 saves
Sofia Cazares
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- 2 shots
- 1 shot on goal
Angelina Barreno
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- 1 shot
- 1 shot on goal
Game Notes:
- The Scarlet Hawks improved to 6-2-1 all-time against Concordia Chicago, winning the last six games in a row.
Up Next
The next challenge for the Scarlet Hawks takes them to Madison, WI, where they will face Edgewood University on Sept. 27. The match is set for 1 p.m. as Illinois Tech competes on their opponent's home turf.
