The Prairie Stars got their first conference win of the season, and start with a record of 2-0-1, the best the program has ever had.
Friday night the women’s soccer team took on Kentucky Wesleyan College Panthers for their first conference match of the season. The game was set to take place at 5p.m. but due to weather complications the game was postponed for an hour to wait for conditions to clear up. This did not stop some Blue Crew members as they practiced chants and played a game of catch with a Frisbee while waiting for the gates to open.
Once the gates were opened to the public the stadium began to fill up with students and fans from both sides. They did not let the weather stop them from cheering on their respective teams.
Finally the game started with the Prairie Stars kicking off the first half. The two teams would go back and forth fighting over possession for the ball until sophomore forward Kim Tokarski put the ball in the back of the net after receiving a cross from freshman forward Eileen Kenny in the eleventh minute.
The Stars would keep up the offensive on the Panthers and in the thirty-fifth minute sophomore forward Carin Fearing was fouled inside the box giving the Stars a free shot on goal. Senior midfield and captain Erin Egolf stepped up to take the shot and made the score 2-0 in favor of the Stars. For the rest of the half neither team would be able to score.
Head Coach Pete Kowall, when asked about what the plan was for the second half being up 2-0, he commented, “with a rain delay you never know if you are going to have to go back in and back out. So we told them not to look at the score board and play your game and concentrate on getting that third goal.”
Going into the second half the Stars were up 2-0, with possession in favor of the Panthers. The two teams once again were constantly battling for the ball for several minutes. Then an opportunity presented itself for UIS when the ball went out of bounds giving them a corner kick. Junior midfield Hannah Fyfe took the corner kick sending it into box where Kenny scored for the Stars.
Then with about twenty minutes remaining in the half, it started to rain once again, making fans look for shelter or put on their jackets. The rain made the field wet, making the ball skip and players occasionally slide.
With eighteen minutes remaining in the game, senior forward Ally Redington shot the ball scoring for the Stars. Redington was taken out of the game several minutes later due to an ankle injury.
The Prairie Stars would take several more shots on goal, but none of them were able to find the net. Then Kentucky Wesleyan changed their goalie with only twelve minutes remaining.
For the rest of the match neither team would be able to score and the Stars would get their first conference win as well as back to back shut outs.
After the game Egolf said, “we were pumped up and excited and ready to go for the first conference game and we came out with a win.”
Redington’s injury was not severe and she was set to return for Sunday’s game where the Stars faced the University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles.
