Box Score

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Abigail Westerweel scored her first goal of the season 67 seconds into the match and Letesha Cannonier's goal in the 11^th minute was the difference as the Davenport women's soccer team held on to beat Indiana Tech 2-1 and take sole possession of first place in the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference standings Saturday evening.

The top two teams in the league had an extra factor added to their physical match as Mother Nature provided a mix of rain and mist throughout the match. Although the Lady Panthers led the match in shots 14-9, the Warriors held a 4-3 shot on goal advantage.

As the rain poured at the start of the match, it wasn't enough to slow the Panthers as Westerweel's header off a corner kick by Thelma Gylfadottir gave the Panthers an early 1-0 lead at 1:07. The Lady Panthers collected a huge insurance goal in the 11^th minute as for the second straight match, third in the last six, Cannonier stole the ball from a defender and beat the goalkeeper for the second goal of the match.

Even though Davenport went on to outshoot Indiana Tech 10-4 in the first half, the momentum reversed in the second half, as although it won't show on paper, the Warriors played very physical against the Panthers. Both teams had scoring opportunities but it was in 82^nd minute that put pressure on both teams as the Warriors found the back of the net on a header off a corner kick. Tam Grzybowski made a great effort to clear the ball before it crossed the line but was too late.

The Warriors continued to play aggressive on the attack in the final minutes but a defensive effort led by Ashley Roth and Brenna Hartner helped the Lady Panthers secure the win over their conference foes.

With three matches remaining on the regular-season schedule, Davenport now hits the road for the next two. The Lady Panthers will visit Concordia Wednesday at 4 p.m. followed by a trip to Madonna Saturday at noon.

Post-Match Quotes

Head Coach Chris Allen:

On the first half – “The first goal was a great start in the match. Anytime you can start a match like that it puts you in a great position. 'Wheels' (Abigail Westerweel) got a great header and then “Teesh (Letesha Cannonier) had a beautiful finish. To be honest with you, I think we played really well in the first half. We could have even got a third goal, which could have put the match away. It got a bit physical in the end. Indiana Tech is great team. They've been great all season and they worked very hard. Credit to them. They were very physical and we had to match them and I thought we did a good job.”

On the three matches remaining: “We've taken the philosophy this year of approaching as one match at a time. The only thing we are looking at right now is the match on Wednesday. That's what we have been doing all season and it seems to have been working right now. We just have to refocus, get ready for that and the biggest thing that really counts is the tournament. We are doing the best we can to prepare for that.”

Sophomore forward Letesha Cannonier:

On her momentum the last six matches: “It feels great to just help the team along the way to get those wins. I mean when you got the chance, you got to take it.”

On the importance of the win against Indiana Tech: “It was really important. Basically for me this was like a final, it was a decider. This puts us in front to win the WHAC (regular-season title).”

Post-Match Notes
Davenport improves its record to 12-2 overall and 5-0 in WHAC play…the Lady Panthers improved to 9-3 against Indiana Tech and have now extended their streak four…the 12 wins the Panthers achieved is now a new single-season record, breaking last year's record of 11…Letesha Cannonier has now scored five goals in the last six matches…Thelma Gylfadottir tallied her fifth assist of the season.
Follow Davenport Athletics on: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YouTube
Follow Davenport Women's Soccer on: FACEBOOK