Illinois Springfield Women's Soccer (8-6-3, 6-5-3) defeated Rockhurst (9-5-2, 7-5-1) 3-0 Saturday. The Prairie Stars protected the shutout during a late stretch, absorbing six Rockhurst attacking actions from 78:04 to 87:55 without conceding.
Mallory Herber put UISÂ ahead in the first half, scoring off
Riley Lloyd's assist at 9:59 after the Prairie Stars generated four shots in the opening nine minutes.
Elyse Severson added another goal at 39:52, assisted by
Maddie Festerling, and
Gigi Yurevich made three saves as the Stars took a 2-0 lead into halftime.
UIS added the only goal of the second half at 84:00, when
Autumn Diduch scored to make it 3-0. Yurevich handled Rockhurst's late push, making saves at 84:32, 85:04 and 87:55. The Prairie Stars closed out the half without conceding and finished the match with a 3-0 win.
Herber led the Prairie Stars with four shots, putting three on goal. Yurevich made nine saves in 90 minutes and finished without allowing a goal. Severson scored on her lone shot attempt. Diduch added an unassisted goal on her only shot.
"I'm really proud of our effort today," said head coach
Scott Myers. "We had five very important reasons to go after this game, and I'm so grateful for each of them. Abby, Emma, Rachel, Dahlianney and Gigi have given this program so much during their time here. Their collective goal was to leave it better than they found it, and I couldn't be prouder of them for accomplishing that.
"I'm extremely grateful for every moment I've been able to spend around them during my tenure. With today's win, I'm excited about what the future holds. We'll return the majority of our roster, and they're all eager and hungry to succeed. I'm incredibly proud of the growth we've made in a calendar year. The addition of our incoming class this year has been amazing, and the 2027 class will once again help propel the program forward.
"While our season ends today, I'm extremely excited about the future of this program. These young women have been such a pleasure to be around each and every day."Â
In the conference standings, Illinois Springfield and Lewis are tied for eighth at 6-5-3 with 21 points each, though Lewis holds the head-to-head advantage. Two conference games remain Sunday and Tuesday before the tournament field is officially announced.
UIS thanks CEFCU for its partnership and continued support of UIS soccer.Â
Learn more about CEFCU.
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