BELOIT, WI – The Beloit College Women's soccer team delivered a commanding performance on their home turf at Strong Complex Soccer Field today, securing a decisive 3-0 victory over Cornell College. The Buccaneers improve to 4-11-2 overall and 2-5-1 in Midwest Conference play. The Rams fall to 2-15-0 and 0-8-0 in MWC play.
From the outset, the Buccaneers demonstrated their intent, applying early pressure on the Cornell defense. The breakthrough came swiftly, with Willow Mashkuri (Middlesex, Vt.) netting the first goal of the game for the Buccaneers in the 9th minute, marking her 4th goal of the season. The momentum continued in Beloit's favor, and just five minutes later, Sarah Connors (Paso Robles, CA) doubled the lead in the 14th minute, assisted by Keira Werner (Piper, KS), bringing her season tally to 8 goals.
Beloit's offensive prowess was evident in the statistics, outshooting Cornell by a significant margin. By halftime, the Buccaneers had registered 14 shots compared to Cornell's 5. The Beloit defense, anchored by goalkeeper Sophia Dietz (Schaumburg, IL), was impenetrable, ensuring a clean sheet for the entire 90 minutes. Dietz recorded 6 saves, efficiently thwarting any threats from Cornell.
The second half saw Beloit maintain control, with Connors adding her second goal of the match and 9th of the season in the 73rd minute, once again assisted by Werner, further extending Beloit's lead to 3-0. This goal solidified Beloit's dominance and extinguished any hopes of a Cornell comeback.
Connors 9 goals this season is the most by a Buccaneer since the 2018 season.
Overall, Beloit College's strategic play, aggressive offense, and stalwart defense proved to be too much for Cornell. The Buccaneers ended the game with 22 total shots, 14 of which were on target, compared to Cornell's 9 total shots with only 6 on target. Beloit also had more corner kicks (3 to 1) and held a slight edge in possession (52% to 48%).
The Buccaneers finish the regular season with the win. While they graduate just two seniors, they will look to continue to build on their young talent.
