CARBONDALE, Ill. — Western Illinois women's soccer battled through the heat Sunday afternoon, but ultimately fell short in a 5-0 loss to Southern Illinois.
The Salukis struck twice in the opening 45 minutes to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. Aylie Haycock opened the scoring before Brooke Gosse added a second goal, giving Southern Illinois the advantage heading into the break.
Southern Illinois added three more goals in the second half, with Maya Dixon, Dior Knorr and Gosse each finding the back of the net. Gosse finished with two goals on the afternoon.
The Salukis controlled the offensive attack throughout the match, holding a 14-4 advantage in shots and an 8-1 edge in shots on goal. Reagan Miller made one save to preserve the shutout, while Western Illinois goalkeepers Lillian Johns and Mahee-Lee Caron combined for three saves.
"Tough conditions all round with the heat today. We battled as always but left another mountain to climb. We have to continue to trust our process, be better at the fundamentals, and trust each other to do our jobs. We were not able to execute at the level we hold ourselves accountable today and against a very good team you get punished," Henderson said.
Henderson also highlighted the combination play between Callie McMurtrey and Rita Moran, who helped create opportunities for the Leathernecks.
"Callie and Rita combined well, creating one or two promising moments that we could not capitalize on. It's another game where lots of players got minutes, and another game we have to progress from," Henderson said.
The Leathernecks look to bounce back in their next match at Valparaiso on August 20th at 7 P.M.
FOLLOW THE LEATHERNECKS
For all the latest information on Leatherneck Women's Soccer, please visit GoLeathernecks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Leathernecks on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.
