MOUNT PLEASANT – Four different players scored goals as the Iowa Wesleyan College women’s soccer team defeated Knox College 5-1 Thursday afternoon at East Lake Park.
Jessica Ryan (So.-Burlington, Iowa) scored twice and teammates Jillian Sulcer (Fr.-Mechanicsburg, Ill.), Shannon Lee (Jr.-Bloomington, Ill.) and Serina Reyna (Fr.-Selma, Calif.) all added one goal each as the Tigers won for the third time in four matches and improved to 3-5 overall.
Ryan scored bookend goals for the Tigers, who controlled the ball throughout the match and outshot the Prairie Fire 29-8. The sophomore scored the opening goal in the 19th minute, cleaning up a rebound off Knox goalkeeper Alex Rauland. Ryan also scored IWC’s final goal in the 87th minute, taking a pass from Brittney Moss (Fr.-Genoa, Ill.) and dribbling past the defense before depositing the ball in the net for her seventh goal of the season.
Sulcer and Lee both added their goals in the first half off assists from Moss and Reyna, respectively, as IWC took a 3-0 lead into halftime. Knox briefly cut into the lead in the second half. Rozie Smith scored off an assist from Carrie Ramig in the 63rd minute to make it 3-1. The Tigers came back with their fourth goal less than ten minutes later, though, when Reyna capitalized after a long run for an unassisted goal at the 71:40 mark.
Cara Arnold (Fr.-Stillman Valley, Ill.) had four saves to get her third win for the Tigers. Sulcer and Deandra Franzisi (Jr.-Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) led the team in shots with four each.
Rauland stopped 12 shots for the Prairie Fire, who were unable to win for the second straight match and dropped to 1-8 on the season. Emma Swanson led the team in shots with three.
IWC now gets ready for Midwest Collegiate Conference play beginning Saturday with a match in Cedar Rapids at Mount Mercy College. Match time for the women is 1 p.m., with the Wesleyan and Mount Mercy men playing at 3 p.m.
For more information regarding the IWC soccer programs or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
