MACOMB -- On a beautiful October Sunday, the Western Illinois women's soccer team closed out the year with a big win on Senior Day. Sunday's match against Lindenwood marked the final time Audrey Narine, Maddie Hasken, and Malerie Rohweder, would don the purple and gold as a part of the Western Illinois women's soccer team.

Western Illinois and Lindenwood faced off in the squads' first ever matchup. The Leathernecks and Lions entered the match placed ninth and tenth in the OVC standings, respectively. Lindenwood grabbed a first-minute corner that would put the Leathernecks on their heels early, but WIU would bounce back strongly by pushing the ball forward into the Lions' third. In the sixth minute, Sachiko Gamo perfectly threaded in a lofted through ball to freshman Alanna Pennington who received the ball at the top of the eighteen yard box. A Lindenwood defender collided with Pennington, causing the ball to break free, which bounced right to Alanna who tapped it in to give the Leathernecks a 1-0 lead. 

The Leathernecks would have the ball in the final third for a large portion of the first half, being aggressive in the early stages of the match. A pair of shot attempts from distance from Claire Brown and Sarah De Gannes wouldn't cause any danger for the Lions' keeper, but Western kept the pressure on. 

Later on in the half, Kayla Turner would break free of a defender and receive a beautiful pass from Hana Daoudi, but Turner would be fouled just inside the box, leading to a Leatherneck penalty. It would be the senior Maddie Hasken who took the kick, and she buried it towards the left side to make it 2-0. Western would keep the result into the break. 

In the second half, Western's defense would hold strong for the first thirty-five minutes of the period, with some nice plays made by Rita Moran and Emmy Ellington to keep the shutout. However, in the eightieth minute, Lindenwood would make things interesting with the Lions scoring a goal to make it 2-1. The Leathernecks would hold strong though, grabbing a big win on senior day, with the game winning goal scored by none other than Maddie Hasken. 

Western Illinois finishes out the year with a 3-8-5 record, and a 1-4-4 record in the team's inaugural OVC season. The Leathernecks officially ended the year with a ninth place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference on the year with seven points. Pennington, who scored the opening goal today, and junior Sachiko Gamo led the team in goals on the year with three apiece.