Box Score Grand Rapids, MI – The Aquinas College women's soccer team concluded the regular season Saturday night with an impressive 6-0 road win against Cleary University. The Saints won their final three games by a combined score of 13-1 to finish third in the WHAC.
Aquinas 6, Cleary 0
Offensive woes in the first half have been a concern for the Saints for a majority of the season.
They reversed that trend in the regular-season finale and seem to be peaking at the right time, winning four of their last five games.
Aquinas scored four goals in the first 10 minutes of the game, including three in the first five minutes.
The early offensive barrage paved the way toward another momentum-building victory as the Saints prepare for the postseason.
Junior Madison Slezinski helped Aquinas to a quick start with a pair of goals in the first five minutes. Both were assisted by Kiersen Korienek.
Ten seconds after Slezinski scored her second goal, sophomore Julia Grzadkowska followed with another to give the Saints an early 3-0 lead.
In the 10th minute, Korienek registered an unassisted goal, and Aquinas held a commanding 4-0 advantage.
Aquinas tacked on two more goals in the second half.
Catherine Hoff scored in the 75th minute off an assist from Emily Gignac and Olivia Bowling put the final touches on the win with a goal in the 88th minute.
Korienek finished with a season-high three assists to go along with her first-half goal.
Inside the Numbers
- Senior keeper Kayla Shuk stopped two shots on the night and recorded her sixth shutout of the season.
- Aquinas outshot Cleary 25-3, including a 14-2 edge with shots on goal.
- Corner kicks: Aquinas (7), Cleary (2)
- Each team committed eight fouls.
- Madison Slezinski led the Saints with five shots and three shots on goal.
Coach's Comments
Head coach Jenna Smith was thrilled with her team's ability to put away shots early: "It was good to get some quick goals on the board and we created some good scoring opportunities. We've been playing well the last few weeks and now we turn our focus to the conference tournament."
Up Next
The Saints ended the regular season with a 9-5-1 overall record and went 8-2-1 in the WHAC. They will begin the quarterfinals of the WHAC tournament next Saturday. 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.
