#8 Women’s Soccer drops 3-0 decision to #23-ranked Illinois Wesleyan to close out opening weekend

By Blake Moore

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The No. 8-ranked Ohio Northern women's soccer team fell 3-0 in a battle of nationally ranked teams Sunday afternoon to #23-ranked Illinois Wesleyan at Neis Soccer Field as part of the season-opening Illinois Wesleyan Tournament.

The Polar Bears drop to 0-2-0 on the young season while Illinois Wesleyan rebounded from their season-opening loss to move to 1-1-0.

Senior midfielder Sarah Puntel (Strongsville) paced Ohio Northern offensively, posting four total shots and one shot on frame. Sophomore forward Jenna Fuller (Countryside, Ill./Lyons Township) was next in line with two shots on the day.

Meanwhile, junior goalkeeper Meagan Grierson (Miamisburg) deflected four shots in net.

Northern fought hard in the opening stanza, limiting the Titan offense to just three shots in the first half. ONU would register four shots of their own in the period, but the sides would remain scoreless heading into the intermission.

The tournament hosts would open the scoring in the 54th minute when Flower Edington notched the first of her two goals on the afternoon.

The Polar Bears defense would concede their second goal 16 minutes later when Cameron Hindel booted her lone strike off a pass from Edington in the 80th minute. Edington would cap off a five-point performance by scoring her second goal with five minutes to go in regulation.

Overall, Ohio Northern would be outshot 11-10 in the contest, but would hold a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks.

The Polar Bears will now turn their attention to next weekend's regular season home opener when they welcome in Case Western Reserve on Saturday, September 8. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at Kerscher Stadium in Ada.