The Baker women’s soccer team won its fifth game in a row with a triumph over Culver-Stockton College 4-1 Saturday, but the streak was snapped against rival and ninth-ranked William Jewell College in a 1-0 loss Tuesday.
“We have grown together as a team,” freshman Haley Oborny said. “We have been working hard in practice on finishing opportunities.”
The game against William Jewell was a close physical struggle from the start. Twice in the first half, William Jewell had a shot that would have been a goal, except that a player was offsides.
“We expected a physical game,” head coach Nate Houser said. “We need to learn from this and move forward.”
The first and only goal of the game was scored by William Jewell 10 minutes into the second half. The first shot hit off the crossbar and then was put back in for the goal. Baker had shots that were very close to being goals, including a shot by sophomore Mikayla Medlock that hit off the crossbar. Midfielder Christine Janssens had a last chance header with 30 seconds left in the game that was saved by the Cardinal’s goalie.
“William Jewell is the hardest team we will play this year, but I think we could have beaten them,” Oborny said.
It was a slow start for Baker against Culver-Stockton Saturday as they struggled to finish opportunities.
“We weren’t as sharp in the beginning, but we were able to be successful,” Houser said.
The ‘Cats scored three unanswered goals midway through the first half to give them a 3-0 halftime lead. Medlock scored the first goal of the game with 25:57 left before halftime. Janssens followed up Medlock’s goal with one of her own with 17:28 remaining. Junior Rachel Shepard scored the third and final goal of the half with 10 minutes left.
The game became more physical in the second half, with a yellow card given to both teams. Culver-Stockton scored first in the second half with a goal from Lauren Dent. Janssens scored her second goal, and the final goal of the game, off a corner kick by midfielder Gina Schiraldi.
Defender Jennifer Haynes said the ‘Cats had trouble keeping their normal pace. She said the team has expectations that must be met, like winning by a larger margin.
Baker will face McKendree University at 2 p.m. Sunday at North Park.