MACOMB, IL. — The Western Illinois women's soccer team opened its 2026 campaign Wednesday afternoon with a 3-0 loss to Indiana State at John Mackenzie Alumni Field.
The Sycamores struck twice in the opening 22 minutes to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. Alex Lehnert opened the scoring in the 16th minute off an assist from Meagyn Riffle before Quinn Urquhart doubled Indiana State's advantage in the 22nd minute, with Riffle and Hailey Morgan providing the assists.
Indiana State added its third goal in the 65th minute when Riley Mathews found the back of the net, again assisted by Riffle.
The Sycamores controlled the offensive attack throughout the match, finishing with an 18-4 advantage in shots and putting 12 attempts on goal. Western Illinois recorded four shots, with three on target.
Western Illinois goalkeeper Lillian Johns made nine saves on 12 shots on goal as the Leathernecks kept Indiana State from adding to its total after the 65th-minute goal. The Sycamores also held a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Despite the result, Western Illinois head coach Henderson said the team has a clear path forward, emphasizing the need to be more disciplined in possession.
"The biggest thing we need to work on is being tidy. Too much of this game, we kept losing possession, but there's a plan, and we're happy with where we're headed," Henderson said. "We trust our freshmen and recruited them for a purpose, so expect to see them get quite a bit of minutes."
Freshman Nelly Beliveau said the Leathernecks created opportunities but will need to be more clinical moving forward.
"This game was hard and not the result we wanted, but we had chances to score. We just need to capitalize on them," Beliveau said.
The Leathernecks will look to bounce back Sunday when they travel to Southern Illinois for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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