VALPARAISO, Ind. — Western Illinois women's soccer continued its non-conference schedule Thursday evening, falling 4-0 to Valparaiso at Brown Field.
Valparaiso opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Brylie Walos found the back of the net at the 7:32 mark. Ashley Trippeer and Alyssa Thomas were credited with assists on the goal.
The Beacons added to their advantage just five minutes later, as Trippeer scored in the 13th minute to give Valparaiso a 2-0 lead.
Despite the early deficit, the Leathernecks settled in and continued to compete throughout the remainder of the match. Western Illinois created opportunities in the attacking half while working to keep the Beacons from extending their advantage before halftime.
"Another step forward. Very proud of the team performance today and the support we had for each other. By far the best we have competed, we kept the game tight after conceding two early goals, never backed away and managed to have moments in the attacking half that we can build from moving into Sunday's game," head coach Henderson said.
Western Illinois finished with eight shots on the evening, led by Nelly Beliveau with five attempts and two shots on goal. Callie McMurtrey, Claire Brown and Abigail Schilling each recorded a shot for the Leathernecks.
Valparaiso carried its 2-0 advantage into halftime before adding two more goals in the second half. Martha Goddard converted a penalty kick in the 67th minute before finding the back of the net again in the 75th minute off an assist from Trippeer.
The Beacons finished with a 19-8 advantage in shots and an 8-2 edge in shots on goal.
Western Illinois split time between Lillian Johns and Mahee-Lee Caron in goal. Johns played the opening 22:10 and recorded two saves, while Caron played the remaining 67:50 and also made two saves.
Henderson also highlighted the performances of several newcomers who saw significant action throughout the match.
"Great to see a lot of the newcomers to the squad perform and compete, Mahe-Lee Caron was great in goal today, and Abigail Schilling was able to show flashes of what she can do with the ball. Lots of moments to build on," Henderson said.
The Leathernecks return to action Sunday as they continue their non-conference schedule against Eastern Washington.
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