University of Illinois Springfield Athletics

UIS women's soccer defeated Quincy 1-0 on Wednesday night on the road, improving to 4-3-1 overall and 2-2-1 in the GLVC. The Prairie Stars kept the Hawks off the board during a second-half stretch from 69:34 to 79:25 in which Quincy had nine attacking actions. The Prairie Stars handed the Hawks their first conference loss, their second loss on the season.

Quincy was on the attack right out of the gate, taking four shots before UIS produced its first. Gigi Yurevich saved two Quincy attempts during the early stretch, and UIS generated four shots from 20:33 to 26:13, including Kalli Drexler's attempt off the top woodwork. 

The Prairie Stars broke through late in the first half when a deflected ball in the attacking third rolled to Addi Wittenberg, who fired a shot into the top corner at 41:05. The strike gave UIS a 1-0 lead heading into halftime and would ultimately stand as the game-winner.

UIS kept Quincy scoreless in the second half, with Yurevich saving Rebecca Rheinheimer's penalty kick at 74:31 and adding stops at 71:41 and 76:33. The Prairie Stars also generated chances through Addi Wittenberg's saved shot and Abbie Gleason's attempt off the right woodwork. 

Addi Wittenberg scored the game-winning goal and put both of her shots on frame. Yurevich recorded five saves over 90 minutes and finished with her first shutout of the season.

"I am really proud of our team today," said head coach Scott Myers. "It wasn't our best performance, but we worked hard behind the ball as a team to make sure we found that first shutout. Being able to take a 1-0 lead into halftime was huge for us, as Addi Wittenberg was able to capitalize from a distance.

"Quincy is a great side, and to get three points tonight is a big road win for us. Gigi made a phenomenal save on the penalty kick and then shortly thereafter in the run of play to keep us in it. We had great energy from the bench to the field, and we were able to win all three of our roles today.

"I am most proud of how our bench brought the energy today and helped us win the battle in tight moments by lifting the momentum and energy. We will enjoy this for the evening, and then we know we have to go on the road again and find a way to get another three points from a good UMSL side."

The Prairie Stars visit Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 5 p.m. in St. Louis, Mo.


UIS thanks CEFCU for its partnership and continued support of UIS soccer. Learn more about CEFCU.