West Central Reporter

On a Sunday in October, the Western Illinois women's soccer team secured a victory against Lindenwood on Senior Day. This match marked the final appearance for seniors Audrey Narine, Maddie Hasken, and Malerie Rohweder with the team.

The game was the first meeting between Western Illinois and Lindenwood, with both teams positioned ninth and tenth in the OVC standings respectively. Lindenwood started strong with an early corner, but Western Illinois quickly regained momentum. In the sixth minute, Sachiko Gamo delivered a precise through ball to freshman Alanna Pennington. After a collision with a defender, Pennington capitalized on the opportunity to score and put her team ahead 1-0.

Western Illinois maintained offensive pressure throughout much of the first half. Despite attempts from Claire Brown and Sarah De Gannes that did not threaten Lindenwood's goalkeeper, they kept pressing forward.

Later in the half, Kayla Turner broke away from a defender only to be fouled inside the box after receiving a pass from Hana Daoudi. Maddie Hasken took advantage of this penalty kick opportunity by scoring to extend their lead to 2-0 before halftime.

In the second half, Western's defense held firm for most of it until Lindenwood scored in the eightieth minute reducing their deficit to 2-1. Nonetheless, Western Illinois preserved their lead thanks partly due to Maddie Hasken’s decisive goal securing them victory on senior day.

The Leathernecks concluded their season with an overall record of 3-8-5 including 1-4-4 within Ohio Valley Conference play finishing ninth place therein amassing seven points total over course thereof while Pennington alongside junior Sachiko Gamo led team scoring efforts tallying three goals each across campaign entirety.