Box Score CHICAGO -- Western Illinois was able to get its first win of the season on Sunday when the Leathernecks traveled to Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep to take on Chicago State. Junior transfer Sachiko Gamo scored the team's first goal of the season with a goal in the 68th minute of today's match. 

The game started with Western attacking early, as the Leathernecks tallied 4 shots in the first 7 minutes of the match. The Cougars them found themselves in their attacking boots as they drew 3 consecutive free kicks with nothing coming from them. Elise Bush recorded the game's first shot on goal in the 38th minute, but her effort was saved by the Cougars' keeper. Right before halftime, the ball found its way in the back of Chicago State's goal, but was eventually disallowed due to the ball being ruled out of play. 

In the middle of the second half, junior Alexis Vasquez and sophomore Hana Daoudi both recorded shots on target, but were not able to score. These marked two of four shots on goal for the Leathernecks, as they recorded nine shots total. 

Just a few moments later, the Leathernecks scored their first goal of the 2023 season when junior Sachiko Gamo was able to find the back of the net to give Western a lead they would not relinquish. The Cougars were not able to get a shot off until Isabel Navas Rodriguez recorded a save in the final minutes that sealed the win for the Leathernecks. 

Western Illinois will host Northern Iowa on Thursday, Aug. 24 at 4 P.M. As of Aug. 20, the Panthers are 2-0 with wins over St. Thomas and Viterbo.