Lakers Fall to 13th Ranked Indiana Wesleyan in Women's Soccer Season Opener

MARION, Ind. – The Roosevelt University women's soccer team opened its 2022 season with a 4-1 loss to 13^th ranked Indiana Wesleyan University on the road on Saturday, August 27.

The Lakers held the highflying Wildcat offense off the board for the first 14 minutes before Indiana Wesleyan headed a RU goal kick to Sydney Brown, who slotted a one-time shot past Gaby Aguinaga-Hernandez for a 1-0 lead.  Just under two minutes later, Aguinaga-Hernandez made a strong save on a breakaway attempt, but the Wildcats were able to find the back of the net after a scramble in front of the RU net. 

The Lakers almost pulled one back in the 20^th minute when Griselda Gurrola found Meaghan Smith on a through ball, but Smith's shot missed wide by just inches.  Later in the half, Indiana Wesleyan added to their lead in the 34^th minute to make it a 3-0 game at the half.

In the second half, the Lakers struck first when Mayte Gongora won a tackle along the sideline and found Nyah Bejarano, who played a ball into space for Meaghan Smith.  The senior forward then carried the ball for 40 yards and fired a shot into the far corner to cut the deficit to 3-1 in the 52^nd minute.  However, Just over five minutes later, the Wildcats answered back to restore its three-goal lead and the game would end with the 4-1 result.

KEY STATS

• Meaghan Smith picked up from where she left off as the team's leading scorer in 2021, scoring the lone goal & the first goal of the Lakers 2022 season
• Gaby Aguinaga-Hernandez started in goal & made two saves in 26 minutes played
• Roxana Herrera played the final 64 minutes in goal, making two saves in her collegiate debut
• Nyah Bejarano had two shots on goal
• The Lakers were outshot 19-5 in the contest

NEWS & NOTES

• Indiana Wesleyan is currently ranked 13^th in the NAIA Top 25 Poll
• This is the second consecutive season the Lakers played the Wildcats in their season opener, falling to IWU by the score of 4-0 in 2021
• RU was the first team to score on the Wildcats in three games played this season
• The Lakers started seven new players from last year's roster, including four freshmen
  

NEXT UP

The Lakers host Lourdes University (Ohio) on Saturday, September 3 in their 2022 home opener at Morris Field.  Kick-off is scheduled for 2pm and fans can watch the game live here.