HESSTON, Kan. – The Hesston College women's soccer team opened the season with a 2-1 win over McPherson College at Sieber Field on Saturday (Aug. 23) night. This marks the first win for Hesston College as an NAIA/NCCAA institution and was also the first win for interim head coach Kade Mitchell.
The Bulldogs struck first in the 22nd minute as a corner kick from Gracie Speltz found Alyssa Hill in the box who sent a high arcing shot past Hesston keeper Ashleigh Williams. Hesston responded later in the first half on a through ball from Rena Itoga that met the right foot of Brooklyn Paskett who bent the ball perfectly over the head of Emily Singletary and into the net for her first collegiate goal. The match was tied 1-1 heading into the break.
The second half featured several scoring opportunities for both teams, but with less than 10 minutes remaining, the match was still tied. The Larks broke through in the 84th minute as Itoga, last season's leading scorer, received a long free kick from Cecilia Solis and hammered a shot into the net to put the Larks ahead. The Bulldogs had an opportunity to tie the match in the final minutes, but the shot sailed over the crossbar.
The Larks outshot the Bulldogs 12-10 in the match with eight of those shots coming in the second half. Williams recorded four saves in goal for Hesston while Singletary had six.
The Larks will be back in action on Wednesday (Aug. 27) as they travel to Hillsboro to take on Tabor College at 5 p.m.
