Box Score Defiance, OH – The Aquinas College women's soccer team returned to their winning ways in convincing fashion Saturday afternoon after an emphatic 12-0 road win against Defiance College. The 16th-ranked Saints, who scored nine goals in the second half, ended a brief two-game winless skid and remained in second place behind UNOH in the WHAC standings.
Aquinas 12, Defiance 0
It was a game that the Saints desperately needed to have following a heartbreaking loss to Lourdes and a disappointing tie against UM-Dearborn.
Nine different Aquinas players scored in the offensive barrage carried out against the lowly Yellow Jackets.
The Saints held a 3-0 halftime lead after a pair of goals by Kiersen Korienek and a tally in the 41st minute from Bella Teelander.
Aquinas broke it open in the second half with nine goals, which included five in a 10-minute span.
Juniors Madison Slezinski and Aubrey Phenicie tacked on a pair of second-half goals each, while Olivia Bowling, Camille Berko, Chaya Sirivath and Savannah Reese recorded a goal.
Reegyn Cady also registered a goal and had a team-high three assists, while Emily Gignac, Slezinski and Korienek added two assists apiece.
Abigail Kramer, Sirivath and Reese contributed assists as well.
Aquinas keeper Kayla Shuk faced only one shot in the game as her teammates controlled possession throughout and the defense eliminated any scoring threats by Defiance (3-10-2, 0-7 WHAC).
Inside the Numbers
- The Saints outshot the Yellow Jackets 49-1, which included 34 shots on goal.
- Corner kicks: Aquinas (7), Defiance (0)
- The 12 goals and 12 assists by Aquinas were season-highs.
- Eighteen girls saw action for the Saints in the easy win.
- Twelve different girls had a goal or assist for Aquinas.
Coach's Comments
Head coach Jenna Smith was overjoyed by the offensive surge and the contributions made throughout the roster: "I was happy with the response from the team today and it was good to get some goals in this game. A lot of girls were able to get their first career goal or first goal of the season so a lot of small things to celebrate today with this win."
Up Next
The Saints (6-4-1, 5-1-1 WHAC) continue WHAC Wednesday night when they return home to face Siena Heights. Game time is 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to visit AQSaints.com throughout the weekend for live stats, stories, and recaps.
NOTE: Dean Holzwarth, serving as the Senior AQSaints Athletics Reporter & Content Specialist for AQSaints.com, brings decades of journalistic precision and storytelling flair to the Saints' media efforts. Previously, he covered high school sports for ten years at Grand Rapids–based WOOD-TV, following a 16-year tenure in sports reporting with the Grand Rapids Press and MLive. His deep experience in capturing the heartbeat of local athletics now fuels his engaging coverage of Aquinas College sports.
