RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The UW-River Falls women's soccer team lost its home match against Carleton, 2-0, at Ramer Soccer Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
The loss dropped UWRF's record on the season to 7-7-2. Carleton entered the match ranked 23rd in the NCAA Power Index (NPI) and second in the Region IX NCAA and United Coaches polls — the victory by the Knights marked the team's ninth consecutive game without a loss.
In the first half, both teams played sound defense in what played out to be a scoreless 45 minutes. Carleton held a 12-3 advantage in shots, as Valerie Leonard managed the Falcons' only shot on goal. In goal, Grace Zellmer recorded three saves to keep the Knights off the board in the first half.
The first half saw zero corner kicks combined by both teams, but Carleton quickly managed two in back-to-back succession early in the second half. In the 51st minute, Claire Burbery placed a corner kick into position for Ashlyn Haigh to head the ball into the back of the net and break the scoreless tie in favor of the Knights.
In the 65th minute, Carleton doubled its lead to 2-0 as Kathryn Kresse scored off an assist by Kiana Feldis. The Falcons managed three shots and one shot on goal in the second half, but were unable to cut into the Knights' lead.
Lauren Best led UWRF with two shots, while Zellmer finished the game with four saves. As a team, the Falcons finished with six shots and two shots on goal.
Up next, UWRF will continue its stretch of four straight home games to close out the 2024 regular season. The Falcons will host UW-Oshkosh at 2 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Ramer Soccer Stadium. The match will be the team's senior day celebration.
