By: Howard Woodard
SIU (6-2-5) didn’t register a loss on the road as they had a scoreless tie with UIC and beat Valparaiso 2-0. Last Thursday in Chicago, the Dawgs were more aggressive offensively to begin the match, getting four shots off in the first 10 minutes, two of them off of the foot of McKensey Bunch. They ended the first half with seven shots but none of them were on goal, and the Flames outshot them by one but to no avail. They struggled to create in the second half though, only registering one shot compared to UIC’s eight along with five corner kicks. That discrepancy in offensive pressure shows the continued fortitude by the Saluki defense, a staple of their success so far this season. They were anchored by goalkeeper Fabiana Solano’s eight saves. The wind was a factor in Indiana, but the Dawgs pushed though against the Beacons. Lucy Horn, who has played all 90 minutes in each game this season, was a part of each goal the Salukis scored. Their first score came at 26’, off of a corner kick by Ashlyn Henrie where Horn headed the ball in after it bounced off the feet of several players around the net. It was an atypical half offensively from SIU, as they got off 17 shots in the first 45 minutes along with three corner kicks. Sierra O’Grady scored her first goal as a Dawg at 52’, as Horn kicked it ahead to her and she pushed it in to put the Salukis up two scores. Horn took home MVC Defender of the Week for her performance. Solano tallied four saves and notched her sixth shutout of the year, three of them being in conference play. The Dawgs are one of three teams that are undefeated in Valley matchups and will attempt to keep it going against UNI at home this Sunday, October 13 at 1pm.
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