Freshman forward Lauren Pratt scored three goals, giving her a hat trick in the Webster University women’s soccer team’s 11-0 thrashing of Iowa Wesleyan College (IWC) on Sunday, Sept. 16 at St. Louis Soccer Park.
Webster went into halftime with a 3-0 lead over the Tigers with goals scored by sophomore forward Kristin Montgomery, Pratt and junior midfielder Kelsey Tsukayama. While the Gorloks outshot the Tigers 19-0, they also had a total of 16 offsides going into halftime.
Coach Luigi Scire said the offside calls were due to the Tigers’ backfield setting up a trap to cheat and go forward. But the Gorloks made an adjustment at halftime.
“I think the players did a really great job the second half of better-timed runs and better execution,” Scire said. “I was really pleased at how they ran the offense the second half.”
Coming out of halftime, the Gorloks went to work. Webster consistently put pressure on IWC and scored seven goals within a 20-minute span. The Gorloks also spread the ball around, as seven different players scored goals.
“That’s what I love about this team — they’re extremely unselfish,” Scire said. “It’s not ‘Me, me, me — I’ve got to score.’ It’s ‘We as a team have to be successful, and we’ve got to do whatever it takes.’”
Video by Sam Masterson and Macy Salama
The Gorloks showed an example of that when junior forward Jordan Fosburgh scored with 25 minutes left in the game. On the final goal of the game, she took the assist while freshman defender Jessica Mess scored with about 17 minutes left to play.
“We knew what we had to do, and I think we moved the ball well and finished well today,” Pratt said.
Pratt finished with her best statistical game as a Gorlok with the three goals and one assist. She had been dealing with a groin injury in the preseason, but has since healed and gained back her speed.
Another player the team has a lot of assurance in is sophomore goalie Jessica Davis. While Davis only had to face a total of three shots in the game, this is her third shutout in four games this season. Davis gives credit to the team’s defense for her success this season.
“Not a lot of shots come at me, so I pick up what they (the defense) can’t do,” Davis said. “It’s a team effort.”
The only game where Davis didn’t have a shutout in the last four games was Wednesday, Sept. 12. The Gorloks lost at home to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Ind.) 2-0.
Webster gave up two quick goals in three minutes in the first half and wasn’t able to recover. The Gorloks only managed four shots on goal against the Engineers. But the loss gave them added motivation for the game against IWC (see below for more information about IWC’s transition from the NAIA to the NCAA).
With the split in games, the Gorloks progress to 4-2 on the season. Webster’s next matchup is against Millikin University on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. in Decatur, Ill.
The Gorloks then return to the Soccer Park to face North Central College (Ill.) on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 1 p.m.
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