Wins against conference opponents that the University of Illinois Springfield women’s soccer team had previously never defeated are boosting the Prairie Stars’ confidence and win count.
UIS shut out Wisconsin-Parkside 1-0 on the road last Friday with Rochester native Emily Matsen scoring the game-winning goal.
The victory broke the program’s record for single-season victories. It was the Stars’ sixth win of the year and it came against a team that it had lost to in six previous Great Lakes Valley Conference games.
“We were ecstatic that we set the record for the most wins in a season,” UIS junior defender Madisyn Coudriet said. “We didn’t perform at our highest level, but we were still able to grind out the win.”
The Stars have scored 17 goals this season compared to 12 in 2015. UIS is four shots shy of matching the number of shots it attempted last year.
“We’ve changed our shape,” Erin Egolf said. “We have more numbers in our attack. It’s the mindset. You have to have a goal scoring mindset.”
I think at this point in the season we’re sitting in a good spot. The next couple of weekends are going to be crucial to see where we fall in the postseason.
”UIS is tied for 10th in the 16-team GLVC standings. The top eight teams advance to the conference championship tournament. UIS is attempting to make more history by qualifying for its first conference tournament and finishing with a winning record for the first time since the program began in 2008.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on October 4, 2016.
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