HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hilltoppers came out aggressive offensively early in the match. Danielle Lewin fired off two shots in the first seven minutes but was unsuccessful. In the ninth minute, Alyvia Walls found Lewin with a header, and Lewin finally broke through with a shot to the right corner of the net to put the Hilltoppers up, 1-0. Soon after, sisters Tyler Roth and Rebecca Roth connected to play the ball into the box for Makenna Egan, who scored with a header to double the lead. Cena Carlson joined in on the scoring in the 34th minute after an assist from Rose Finnegan, firing the ball past the RedHawks goalkeeper to make the score 3-0.
In the second half, the Hilltoppers continued to apply offensive pressure, with 10 different Hilltoppers firing off a shot. In the 67th minute, Lewin headed the ball to Egan, who finished the play by heading the ball into the goal for the brace. The RedHawks managed to get on the board in the 83rd minute on one of SEMO's three shots in the match. Egan continued to look for opportunities to complete the hat trick, firing off two more shots in the final minutes, but both were saved by the goalkeeper. The Hilltoppers finished the match with a 4-1 victory, extending their unbeaten streak to nine games.
QUOTABLE
"I thought we came out really hard in the first half," said Head Coach Jason Neidell. "I thought we put them under a lot of pressure. One of our goals for the match was to get an early goal tonight so that was good to see us get one in the ninth minute and then another one shortly after. I love that things were clicking in the first half and that we were able to put the game away in the first half. They came out hard and SEMO played a great game in the second half and put us under a lot of pressure. I'm glad we had done what we needed to do in the first half."
"I think our efforts in the box were amazing," said sophomore forward Makenna Egan on her brace tonight. "My goals came from other people's hard work. I think that speaks of how we are as a team."
NOTABLES
- The Hilltoppers' 6-0-3 record marks the first time since 2008 that WKU has gone unbeaten through its first nine games, tying for the fourth-longest unbeaten streak in program history
- The Hilltoppers outshot the RedHawks 23-3 in the match
- Makenna Egan scored twice in the match, marking her third and fourth goals of the season and the second brace of her career
- Cena Carlson's goal was her first of the season and her first as a Hilltopper
- Danielle Lewin recorded her first goal and second assist of the season in the same number of games
- Alyvia Walls' assist was her first of the season and the third of her career
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Rose Finnegan and Tyler Roth both recorded the first assists of their careers
Rebecca Roth's assist was the fourth of her career
NEXT UP
The Hilltoppers will host Lindenwood for Senior Day on Sunday, Sep. 20 at 1 PM at the WKU Soccer Complex. Admission to all WKU Soccer games at the WKU Soccer Complex is free.
