MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - Calypso Ayoung (Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago) scored in the eighth minute, and Beloit made it stand with a defensive effort that shut out Cornell College 1-0 this afternoon at Cornell Soccer Field. The Buccaneers (3-5-1, 2-0-1 MWC) stayed unbeaten in league action. The Rams fell to 2-8 overall and 0-4 in conference play.
Beloit struck early. In the 8th minute (7:58), Grace Christos (Valporariso, IN) set up Ayoung for the game's only goal, the second of the season for the Beloit forward. It came shortly after Ayoung had tested Cornell keeper Sydney Newberg with a saved shot in the 7th minute.
Beloit controlled the match, outshooting Cornell 21-6 and putting 8 shots on target to the Rams' 2. The Buccaneers also had 53% of possession and a 2-1 edge in corner kicks. They were flagged for offside three times, while Cornell had none.
Cornell goalkeeper Newberg kept the Rams in it with 7 saves, six of them in the first half, when Beloit fired off 12 shots. Beloit added 9 more in the second half, but Newberg and the Cornell defense held the margin to one.
Multiple Buccaneers put together stand out performances this afternoon. Ayoung scored the winner and led all players with 5 shots, 3 of them on target, in just 37 minutes. She kept pressing in the second half, with a saved shot in the 47th minute and two more attempts that missed. Christos earned the assist on the goal and added a first-half shot over 73 minutes of play. Willow Mashkuri (Middlesex, VT) came off the bench for Ayoung and made an immediate impact with 3 shots, 2 on target, over 38 minutes. Fianne Makela (Duluth, MN) played 87 minutes and joined the attack with 4 shots, 2 of them on target, including two attempts in the final minutes.
Maggie Wood (Bangkok, Thailand) played 84 minutes with 3 shots, including a saved effort in the first half.
Sophia Dietz (Schaumburg, IL) played all 90 minutes and recorded the shutout, making 2 saves, both on shots from Cornell's Mia Belitz (24th and 74th minutes). Dietz earned the win and improved to 2-3-1.
Beloit's back line, anchored by 90-minute players
Zyana Turcios (Elmwood Park, Ill.) and
Sydney Rausch (Boise, ID), limited Cornell to 6 shots, only 2 of them on target. Belitz led the Rams with 3 shots. The Buccaneers committed just 3 fouls to Cornell's 8, and neither team was issued a card.
Beloit threatened to add an insurance goal late. From the 86th to 89th minutes, the Buccaneers fired four shots, two from Makela, one blocked effort from Mikayla Campbell (Madison, WI) and one from Zayna Morany (Macomb, MI), and earned a corner in the 88th minute. None found the net, but the early goal was enough.
The Buccaneers are back home on Wednesday when they host the Grinnell College Pioneers. Kick off is set for 4 pm.
