Lindenwood’s women’s soccer team adds a fourth game to their shut-out streak, taking the win in Thursday’s home game against the University of Southern Indiana.
This was a game where Lindenwood’s offense was in charge with 13 shots on goal, two of them making up LU’s goals by freshman Mackenzie Compton. Had it not been for the Screaming Eagle’s goalie’s work at the net, the score would have likely been different.
This was a clean game played by both teams, no yellow cards were assigned, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t physical, both teams just played the entire game above the belt.
The Lions managed to continuously weave throughout the Screaming Eagle’s midfield, providing them more opportunities to really practice getting their plays down correctly.
“We did really well,” junior midfielder Rachel Jackson said. “We finished our chances and had a lot of shots on goal, which helped big time.”
While many offensive players shot on goal, it was the two Compton’s shots that found their way to the back of the net. Compton was the difference in this game as she took control of the field repeatedly with her strong footwork, and ability to read the defenders’ movements. Being able to consistently weave through upwards of three defenders back-to-back kept the audience on their toes.
Compton took harder situations and made something viable out of them throughout the whole game. As entertaining as her moves on the field were, they wouldn’t have amounted to anything without the work of her teammates. In the first half, senior defender Eyglo Thorsteinsdottir made a 50-yard assisting pass to what became a goal putting the Lions at an advantage, 1-0 in the first period.
“They’re very physical and fast, on our field every game’s pretty fast especially at night,“ Musso said. “We were able to manage [Southern Indiana’s] speed, but I think we were able to control the game by getting on the ball, and when we got on the ball, we did great things, and were able to gain territory and create more chances.”
Another player to highlight is Sophomore, Jessica Dodd. The defender acted as a brick wall throughout the entire game only letting a player past her on a few occasions. She directed the opposing team’s offense away from the center and goalie, while also disarming the ball from them swiftly.
It was early in the second period, where off a rebound Compton was quick on her feet and scored her second, and the Lion’s second, and last goal of the game. The assist for that goal went to sophomore, Anna Johnson.
Lindenwood freshman goalie Caroline Ritter, was two for two on saves in the game. While the Lion’s defense stood strong throughout the game, making Ritter’s life easy, the times the Screaming Eagles got past them, Ritter seem to stand even stronger making sure to shut down any attempts at a comeback.
“We’ve been finishing our chances and getting a lot of shots on goal, which is always nice,” junior midfielder Rachel Jackson said. “We just need to keep the shutouts going, keep the goals coming, and keep working hard.”
This game is the Lion’s fourth shutout in a row, and their seventh victory of the season. The Lion’s play their game on the road against Southeast Missouri State this Sunday at 1 p.m. The team will return home on Oct. 17 to play UT Martin at 7 p.m. that evening.
