Western women’s soccer remained undefeated in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, beating Simon Fraser University, 4-0, on Thursday, Oct. 22.
The Vikings got off to an early lead, scoring two unanswered goals early in the first half.
Four minutes into the game, freshman forward Gabriela Pelogi received a pass from senior midfielder Savanna Moorehouse. Pelogi beat two Simon Fraser defenders and scored from 10 yards aways for the first goal.
“Usually when that happens, there’s nothing going on in my head,” Pelogi said. “I just feel confident enough to take the shot.”
Nine minutes later, Moorehouse was in position for a goal, heading the ball in off an assist from junior forward Erin Russell. Two more goals were scored in the second half, one from a free-kick by junior forward Anna DeWeirdt and another from a corner kick by senior midfielder Delanee Nilles.
“It definitely helps when we can score those early goals. Goals change games in soccer,” head coach Travis Connell said.
The early lead was particularly important, given Simon Fraser’s sit-and-react strategy, Connell said.
With just a few more regular season games until the playoffs, Connell is starting to think about some adjustments to the team’s strategy.
“We definitely don’t want to be content, we’re always trying to get better.” Connell said. “Really, you have to be able to do a lot of different things, depending on how your opponent is playing.”
Western’s next game is against Northwest Nazarene University at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, at Robert S. Harrington Field.
