Council Bluffs, IA – #6 Iowa Western played Salt Lake Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Reivers fell 3-1 to the Bruins after holding them scoreless in the first half.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Iowa Western started the game strong and maintained possession. The Reivers midfield found the feet of Alex Boss and Anyeli Solarte, creating chances on the edge of the eighteen. Iowa Western continued to possess the ball efficiently for the remainder of the half, but the Reivers could not find the back of the net. The Iowa Western defense was solid and shutout the Bruins attack in the opening half. The match was even at halftime, giving the Reivers a great opportunity to capitalize in the second half.
Seven minutes after the half, Salt Lake's Meghan Walker drilled the back of the net off of a rebounded ball in Iowa Western's six yard box to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. One minute later Iowa Western forward, Alex Boss, found Laura Chavez's feet in the center of the field. Chavez quickly recognized how high the Salt Lake goalkeeper was playing and hit a shot from 30 yards out to tie the match 1-1. The Bruins responded after the equalizer and put lots of pressure on the Iowa Western defense. In the 60th minute, Salt Lake's Chloe Hendrickson was left open at the top of the eighteen and she drilled the back of the net to give SLCC the 2-1 lead. The Bruins struck again in the 69th minute. Iowa Western Goalkeeper, Mandy Clark, made a great save on the first shot, tipping the ball into the crossbar. Salt Lake forward, Sydney Hathaway, was there to finish after the rebound off of the crossbar. Salt Lake CC was able to hold the Reivers to one goal in the second half to win the match 3-1.
NOTES & NUMBERS: The Reivers finished the match with six shots and three corners. Salt Lake took 23 shots and nine corner kicks over the course of the match. Iowa Western Goalkeeper, Mandy Clark, ended the match with 10 saves. Utah native Alex Boss earned the assist and Colombian midfielder Laura Chavez scored IWCC's lone goal.
QUOTES: Assistant Coach Marissa Ringblom:
"We were pleased with the effort and energy of the group, especially in the first half. We felt like our ability to maintain and possess the ball was efficient. The girls put themselves in a great position at halftime, but we were not able to capitalize in the second half.
We have to put more immediate pressure on the ball defensively and eliminate the number of chances and opportunities that we are allowing. At the end of the day, we need to put together a complete team performance and make better decisions to keep ourselves in matches. We have another opportunity to make positive strides tomorrow against a very good Laramie County CC team."
UP NEXT: The Reivers will face home team, #4 Laramie County tomorrow at 3:30PM CST. Iowa Western will begin conference play at Iowa Central Community College on Saturday, September 9th in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Match updates can be found on Twitter at @ReiverWSoccer.
