STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The Concordia Wisconsin women's soccer team picked up a statement road victory on Sunday afternoon, shutting out Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 1-0, at UWSP.
The victory moved the Falcons to 1-2-0 on the season and marked their first win at a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) school since a victory at Oshkosh on Oct. 25, 2022. Sunday's clean sheet was also CUW's first shutout against a WIAC opponent since blanking Oshkosh on Sept. 23, 2018.
The Falcons generated the first dangerous opportunity of the afternoon in the ninth minute when freshman Eden Lake-Swenson (Waukesha, Wis.) fired a shot toward the top-right corner, forcing a save from the Pointers' goalkeeper. Sophomore Koffy'e Chappel (Oakland, Calif.) followed with an attempt less than two minutes later before junior Jacey Read (Carbondale, Colo.) put another shot on frame in the 18th minute.
Lake-Swenson continued to create problems for the Pointers' defense and tested the goalkeeper again in the 29th minute. The Falcons finished the opening half with six shots, including three on goal.
On the other end, senior Kara Claussner (St. Charles, Ill.) helped keep the contest scoreless. Claussner turned away both shots she faced in the opening 45 minutes, including a save in the 41st minute, as the teams entered halftime locked at 0-0.
Freshman Aubrey Johnson (Cedar Grove, Wis.) took over between the pipes to begin the second half and was immediately tested. Johnson made saves in the 47th and 49th minutes before coming up with another stop in the 59th minute as Stevens Point pushed for the opening goal.
The Falcons finally broke through in the 69th minute.
Chappel slipped a pass to sophomore Lillia Brandt (Saukville, Wis.), who chipped the ball over the goalkeeper's head from 15 yards out. The ball rolled into the back of the net to give CUW the 1-0 advantage at 68:31. It was Brandt's first goal of her CUW career and proved to be the game-winner, while Chappel picked up the assist.
The Pointers did not go quietly.
Wisconsin-Stevens Point nearly equalized in the 76th minute when Rita Danner rattled a shot off the crossbar. Seconds later, Danner put another attempt on frame, but Johnson was there to make the save and preserve the one-goal advantage.
The CUW defense slammed the door from there. Stevens Point earned corner kicks in the 84th and 88th minutes, but the Falcons kept the Pointers off the scoreboard to secure the road victory.
Johnson collected four saves in the second half to earn the victory, while Claussner stopped two shots in the opening half. The duo combined for six saves and the Falcons' first clean sheet of the season. CUW was outshot 15-10 overall, but placed six of its 10 attempts on goal.
Lake-Swenson led the Falcons with three shots on goal, while Read put both of her attempts on frame. Senior Lanie Czerkies (Joliet, Ill.) added three shots as the Falcons handed the Pointers their first loss of the season.
The Falcons continue their tough non-conference schedule on Wednesday at Loras (1-0).
