Box Score Grand Rapids, MI – The Aquinas College women's soccer team was unable to generate any quality scoring chances against a stifling Siena Heights' defense and suffered a 1-0 home loss Wednesday night. It was the Saints' second loss in WHAC play with three games remaining in the regular season.
Siena Heights 1, Aquinas 0
It's become a frustrating yet common theme for the Saints this season: outplay their opponents but come out on the short end.
The Saints controlled possession throughout but came up empty on sparse scoring chances as their opportunity to claim a regular season conference title took a major blow.
Graduate student and leading scorer Kiersen Korienek had all three shots on goal for the Saints.
Siena Heights only had three shots on goal against senior keeper Kayla Shuk, but they took advantage of one of them in the first half.
In the 26th minute, Chelsey Chambless one-touched a ball that soared over Shuk's head for the only goal of the game.
The Saints had a final chance for the equalizer in the final three minutes, but a strike by Korienek was batted away by the Siena Heights keeper.
It was the final meeting against Siena Heights after the school announced that they will be closing in May.
Inside the Numbers
- Aquinas outshot Siene Heights 13-6 but only had three shots on goal.
- The Saints registered six corner kicks on the night.
- Kiersen Korienek had all three shots on goal for the Saints.
- Aquinas lost for the fourth time at home.
Coach's Comments
Head coach Jenna Smith was disappointed after another one-goal conference setback: "We don't score a ton of goals so for us we have to be really sound defensively and we gave up a goal. I think we have a lot of very good individual soccer players, but I don't think we've figured out how to do it as a team yet. The eyes are on the tournament right now and for us we have to find a way to build momentum because we've beaten the best team in the conference and lost other games we shouldn't have so there is proof that we can do it. We just haven't figured out how to be consistent yet."
Up Next
The Saints (6-5-1, 5-2-1 WHAC) continue WHAC action Saturday at noon against Indiana Tech. It will be the final home game of the regular season as they celebrate Senior Day. 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.
