AKRON, Ohio - The Illinois State women's soccer team dropped their season-opening match in Akron, 3-0, on Friday night in the inaugural game at the new Lee Jackson Field. The Zips' Katie Wise recorded a hat trick, scoring all three goals in a span of three minutes late in the second half.
"It was a disappointing outcome considering that it was a very even game," head coach Drew Roff said. "Both teams had spurts where they had control of the game and we were able to get 11 corner kicks and generate a lot of dangerous chances, unfortunately we couldn't convert. I thought we might get out of there with a draw, 0-0, but unfortunately we gave up three goals in the last 10 minutes and it was very disappointing."
The first-ever game between the two squads remained scoreless after the first 45 minutes, with the Redbirds outshooting the host Zips, 5-3, and earning a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks. All three Akron shots were on goal, but sophomore goalkeeper Mara Kremenovic was equal to the task, collecting three saves.
The Zips broke the scoreless tie in the 82nd minute on Wise's first goal, but she would be far from finished, tacking on two more goals in the 83rd and 85th minutes to complete the hat trick. Akron goalkeeper Jeny Wolbert stopped all three Redbird shots in the second half to preserve the shutout.
Freshman Kyla Cross led Illinois State offensively with three shots, two of them being on net. Senior Alyssa Schulz added two shots to aid in the 11-shot effort for the Redbirds.
"It's only game one and we have a long ways to go," Roff said. "We were able to see some weaknesses that maybe the preseason schedule didn't expose. We need to tighten things up, not hang our heads and come back strong on Sunday. We have to do the little things better, especially in the back. We are too good of a team to give up that many goals, especially toward the end like that. I think we will come out focused and fix the mental errors that occurred tonight."
With the loss, Illinois State will take a 0-1-0 record in Sunday's match at Kent State. Kick-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. Akron improves to 1-0-0 and will play Morehead State in their next match Aug. 29.
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