Aquinas holds off late Indiana Northwest rally

Aquinas controlled much of the run of play in the opening half, generating four corner kicks and testing IUN goalkeeper Kaleigh Blatti early and often. Khloe Koelling and Katelynn Sterling each had shots saved in the first 20 minutes, and Aquinas broke through in the 33rd minute when Sterling set up Raegan LaCross for her first goal of the match, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Blatti kept the RedHawks within a goal the rest of the half, turning away shots from Savannah Reese and LaCross again before the break. IUN struggled to generate offense in the opening 45 minutes, managing just one shot as Erin Harrison forced a save off Aquinas goalkeeper Claire Fogarty in the 27th minute.

Aquinas extended its lead early in the second half. In the 65th minute, Maeve Comfort scored unassisted to make it 2-0, capping a stretch in which Blatti had already made several second-half saves to keep the RedHawks in reach.

IUN pushed back down the stretch, and the pressure paid off in the 79th minute when Piper Ellenberger set up Williams for her fifth goal of the season, cutting the deficit to 2-1. The RedHawks continued to search for an equalizer in the closing minutes — Gabby Maldonado forced a save from Fogarty in the 87th minute — but Aquinas held on to close out the win.

Blatti finished with five saves in the loss, while Fogarty made two saves for Aquinas. The RedHawks were outshot 11-7 for the match.

With the result, Indiana Northwest falls to 4-3-1 on the season. The RedHawks hit the road next, traveling to face Olivet Nazarene in Bourbonnais, Ill. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CDT to begin conference play.