University of Northern Iowa
Western Illinois
Panthers Shut Out WIU on Road, 2-0
9/28/2014 1:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MACOMB, Illinois - The University of Northern Iowa women's soccer team traveled to take on Western Illinois on Sunday and scored a 2-0 shutout. It is UNI's fifth win of the season.
UNI and Western Illinois played a scoreless first half but followed with an exciting second half that included twice as many shots than what each team had in the first half. Ultimately, UNI was outshot, 21-8, but was able to put capitalize on its opportunities.
The Panthers opened up the scoring for the afternoon two minutes into the second half as midfielder Maggie Riley found an open Charlotte Jones who then was able to put a pass into the box where she found Sarah McHugh for a header into the net. It was McHugh's first goal of the season.
Later on, Brady Clark was able to seal the victory for the Panthers during the 62nd minute of the game as UNI put together a string of shots against WIU's keeper and Clark was able to find the loose ball in front of the net, and put it into the goal.
The goal marked Clark's team leading third goal of the season. As a team, with McHugh scoring earlier in the game, the Panthers now have 10 different players on the team with a goal this season.
Defensively, goal keeper Whitney Blunt posted her third shutout of the season. Blunt survived WIU's second-half attack where a total of 14 shots where put up against her. Blunt would finish the game with a season-high 11 saves.
The win against Western Illinois helps the Panthers to improve to 5-5-2 on the season and eclipses last season's win total of four.
Having swept the weekend series, UNI heads into Missouri Valley Ccnference play on Saturday against in-state rival Drake. Last season, the Panthers shutout Drake in Des Moines, 1-0.
Currently, the Panthers sit in fourth place in the overall MVC non-conference standings with Drake one spot below UNI with a record of 5-7.
Kickoff between the two schools is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 4, at the Cedar Valley Soccer Complex in Waterloo.
