Ottumwa, IA –Iowa Western faced off with conference opponent Indian Hills Wednesday evening. The Reivers won the match 2-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Iowa Western entered the first half with a shaky start, playing more defensively than anticipated. The Reivers typically try to possess on the ground, but instead they rushed their play and hit passes in the air. In the 11th minute the Warriors scored the first goal of the game. Woken up by the disappointment, Iowa Western slowly started to clean up their game. In the 36th minute history repeated itself. Similar to the game against Otero, Chavez sent in a corner towards the far post and freshman defender, Veronica Herrera, was there to head the ball into the back of the net.
After half time, the Reivers knew they needed to play their style and put another ball in the net. Right away, there was a noticeable difference. Iowa Western took over possession and created more threatening opportunities. Multiple players, such as Chavez and freshman forward, Ashley Overberg, took chances on long-range shots, putting the Indian Hills goalkeeper under pressure. Many times, the Reivers passed the ball around the top of the eighteen, looking for a gap to shoot through. In the 57th minute, sophomore midfielder, Claire Groves, passed the ball in to freshman midfielder, Paige Moser. With a touch to set her up, Moser nailed the ball towards the inside post, putting Iowa Western ahead 2-1. The Warriors pushed back hard to try and tie the game, but the Reivers held their ground. Freshman defensive-midfielder, Abby Hall, helped shut down Indian Hills' most threatening player over and over, until their team began to finally lose hope. For their last spark of hope, the referee award Indian Hills a penalty kick, but Indian Hills' Charlyann Pizzarello sailed the ball over the crossbar. The Reivers continue their four-game win streak after a 2-1 finish in Ottumwa.
NOTES & NUMBERS: Once again, Veronica Herrera scored the first goal off a corner served in from Laura Chavez at 36:00. Paige Moser finished the second goal with an assist from Claire Groves at 57:00.
QUOTES: Freshman Defender Veronica Herrera of Caracas, Venezuela
"I think it was a very demanding difficult match," Herrera said, "but we were all working together as a team…and we were able to achieve a good result."
UP NEXT: The Reivers face another conference opponent North Iowa Area Saturday, September 23 at 4:00PM CST in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Following, Iowa Western women's soccer will hold their annual Full 90 Blue/White Fundraiser Scrimmage on Tuesday, September 26th at 4:00PM CST. For details and match updates, follow Iowa Western Women's Soccer Twitter @ReiverWSoccer.
