Women's soccer: IHCC closes out regular season with win
Oct. 19—PEORIA, Ill. — The Indian Hills women's soccer team snapped a two-match losing streak with an impressive 2-0 win on the road at Illinois Central Community College. The Warriors move to 6-6-2 on the year.
"This was a win we needed to finish off the regular season," IHCC head coach Jon Hussak said. "We wanted a little payback for the tie we had at the beginning of the year. Our players came out hungry today and had a good mentality. We had more than our fair share of chances, but to come out with the win helps bolster confidence going into Friday's playoff game."
Indian Hills used a goal in each half to run past the Cougars for the team's fourth shutout of the season. The Warriors previously earned a tie with Illinois Central in Ottumwa back in the season-opener on Aug. 19. The win for the Warriors snapped a three-match win streak for Illinois Central, a span that saw the Cougars pitch three straight shutouts.
The Warriors took an early 1-0 lead after Maika Nchana found the back of the net at the 11-minute mark on an assist from Alexia Bru. After holding the Cougars scoreless through the opening half of play, Indian Hills doubled its lead with a quick strike from Bru at the 49:05 mark.
Behind sophomore keeper Maria Melendez, Indian Hills held Illinois Central scoreless the rest of the way to pitch the shutout. Melendez, who tallied three saves on the night, earned her fourth win of the season while lowering her season goals against average to 1.90 on the year. Melendez has now posted two shutouts this season.
Indian Hills is now set to head into postseason action with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I women's soccer central district championship. The five-match tournament, hosted by Lewis & Clark Community College, pits the Warriors against Wabash Valley Community College in the opening round on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Illinois Central will play on the opposing side of the bracket in the opening round against Lincoln Trail College. With a win, the Warriors would advance Indian Hills to the semifinals against Lewis & Clark Community College while the winner of Illinois Central and Lincoln Trail would advance to take on Iowa Western in the second semifinal. Both semifinal matches will be played on Sunday in Godfrey, Illinois. The championship match is set for Oct. 28.
