BELOIT, Wis.- Maggie Wood (Bangkok, Thailand) scored her fifth goal of the season in the 79th minute, and the Beloit College women's soccer team held on for a 1-0 win over Monmouth (IL) this afternoon at Strong Soccer Field. The Buccaneers outshot the Fighting Scots 22-3. Beloit improves to 4-6-1 overall and 3-1-1 in conference play. Monmouth falls to 6-5-0 and 2-3-0.
The Buccaneers pressed for most of the afternoon before breaking through at 78:50. Willow Mashkuri (Middlesex, VT) set up the play, and Wood finished past Monmouth goalkeeper Cadence Covert for the match's only goal. It was Wood's fifth of the year and her first of the afternoon. She had already tested Covert earlier in the second half, with a saved shot at 68:28.
Beloit kept the pressure on after the goal. Wood fired again almost immediately, and Covert saved it. Grace Christos (Valporariso, IN) and Calypso Ayoung (Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago) forced saves over the next few minutes, and Beloit earned two more corner kicks during the stretch.
The final score doesn't reflect how lopsided the match was. The Buccaneers outshot Monmouth 22 to 3, with 12 of those being on target. Monmouth didn't get a chance to test the Buccaneer defense on a corner, while the Bucs tallied 9 corners.
The Buccaneers started quickly. Alejandra Martinez-Bates (Chicago, IL) tested Covert in the second minute, and Ayoung followed with a saved shot in the fifth. Beloit took 11 shots in the first half but went to the break scoreless, as Covert made four saves. Beloit also earned three corner kicks in the opening 45 minutes, including a flurry of three in the final five.
Covert finished with 11 saves in the loss. Monmouth had just one shot in the first half, from Nylea Cruz, and she sent it wide right at 44:12.
The Fighting Scots' task got harder at 52:34, when they went down a player due to a red card. Monmouth played a player down for the final 38 minutes. Beloit made the most of its advantage, taking 11 second-half shots and earning six corners.
Multiple Buccaneers put together noteworthy performances. Wood led the team with four shots, three of them on target, and played 83 minutes. She was a constant threat in the attacking third and delivered the decisive moment when Beloit needed it. Credited with the assist on Wood's goal. Mashkuri also added a shot and played 49 minutes off the bench. Sophia Dietz (Schaumburg, IL) earned the shutout and the win in 90 minutes. She was largely untested, facing only two shots on target. Both came late from Monmouth's Mariah Hobson, at 85:08 and 88:12, and Dietz saved each one. Martinez-Bates tied for the team high with four shots, two on target, in 77 minutes. Her first-minute shot set the tone early.
The Buccaneers are back in action on the road at Luther College on October 14th. Game time is set for 6 pm from the Luther Soccer Field in Decorah, Iowa.
