RIVER FALLS, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's soccer team blanked UW-River Falls 4-0 on Wednesday to climb into third place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) standings. The Blugolds scored twice in each half and limited the Falcons to one shot on target in a dominant victory.
UW-Eau Claire wasted no time to get ahead early. Right back
Katlyn Byhre (Jr. - St. Michael, Minn./Rogers) sent a cross-field pass from near midfield, finding
Sydney Spencer (Sr. - Hudson, Wis.) on the edge of the penalty area. Spencer chipped the ball over the Falcons' keeper to put the Blugolds up 1-0 in the second minute.
UW-Eau Claire doubled its lead on a penalty kick in the 14th minute.
Megan Hansen (Sr. - Andover, Minn./Anoka) rocketed the penalty into the left side of the net to make it a 2-0 advantage for the Blugolds.
The 54th minute saw
Elise Pinewski (Jr. - Anoka, Minn.) pounce on a loose rebound in the penalty area, knocking it into an empty net for the Blugolds' third goal. It was Pinewski's team-leading sixth goal of the season.
Sabrina Pickart (So. - Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West) scored her first career collegiate goal in the 75th minute. She latched onto a free kick in the box, and beat the keeper in a race to the ball to knock it into the back of the net for the team's fourth goal.
Defensively, the Blugolds held the Falcons to three shots — only one of which went on target.
Kennedy Boll (Jr. - Franklin, Wis.) stopped that shot to preserve a shutout. Boll played nearly 77 minutes in net, while
Bella Jones (Fr. - Neenah, Wis.) played the rest and kept the shutout intact.
UW-Eau Claire (9-4-3, 3-2-1) now sits in third place in the WIAC with 10 points, three behind second-place UW-Platteville. The Blugolds wrap up their regular season with a home game against UW-Stout on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Simpson Field. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m., and the Blugolds will host Senior Day.
