Women's Soccer | 10/11/2026 2:33:00 PM

Fort Wayne, Ind. -- Nobody hands out WHAC points at the gate, and Indiana Tech certainly wasn't making an exception for the Saints. This time of year, every conference match carries a little more weight, every road win means a little more and the records can stay on the bus. Aquinas wanted three points Saturday, but an afternoon spent playing more than an hour a player down turned that pursuit into a test of just how much fight the Maroon and White could muster.

Aquinas 1, Indiana Tech 1

Aquinas head coach Mario Zuniga-Gil felt his team started slowly, but the afternoon soon presented a much bigger challenge than finding its rhythm. Khloe Koelling tested Indiana Tech goalkeeper Madison Strain at 10:49, and Claire Fogarty answered with two saves to keep the Warriors off the scoreboard. Maeve Comfort added a shot on target at 23:24 before the match changed just 33 seconds later.

Hadley Fox received a red card at 23:57, leaving the Saints to play the remaining 66:03 with 10 players. Facing that situation for the first time this season, AQ had to adjust its approach while keeping its attacking ambitions intact. Bella Berry, Julia Grzadkowska, Aubrey Phenicie and Raegan LaCross entered during the next four minutes, with Amelia Kidd joining the first-half rotation later.

According to Coach Zuniga-Gil, the Saints began moving the ball better after going a player down and found some of their strongest stretches of possession before halftime. Berry sent a chance wide at 39:56 as AQ continued looking for an opening. That persistence paid off at 42:47, when Grzadkowska scored off an assist from Savannah Reese to send the Maroon and White into halftime ahead 1–0.

The break brought further adjustments, with Aquinas dropping into a more compact shape and easing its pressure on Indiana Tech's buildup. Addyson Jacquemain and Katelynn Sterling each played the full 90 minutes, while Reegyn Cady and Joy Reams helped carry the Saints through the changing demands of the match. Reese received a yellow card at 51:13, and the Warriors capitalized on what Coach Zuniga-Gil described as a momentary disconnect to equalize at 53:00.

Aquinas continued generating opportunities on the counterattack rather than settling for simply protecting the tie. Fogarty made her third save at 65:51, and Bella Teelander forced Strain into a stop just 18 seconds later. Lanee Lewkowski and Madeline Langlois also contributed second-half minutes as AQ used its bench to help sustain the effort.

Berry shot wide at 71:26, and Reese sent another attempt high at 73:48 as the Saints pursued a deciding goal. AQ held firm through two Indiana Tech corner kicks in the final six minutes before Comfort put a late opportunity wide at 88:23. The winner never came, but Aquinas finished with an 8–5 advantage in shots and an effort that left its coach proud of the response while still wanting more from the result.

Aquinas moved to 7–3–1 overall and 4–0–1 in the WHAC, remaining unbeaten in conference play and tied with Lawrence Tech for second place with 13 points. Both sit three points behind first-place Madonna, which has played one more conference match. Indiana Tech moved to 2–7–3 overall and 0–3–2 in the WHAC, sitting ninth with two points.

Saints Snapshots

• The circumstances changed. The pursuit didn't. Playing the final 66:03 a player down forced AQ to adjust its approach, but the Saints still scored first and continued chasing a road victory.
• Depth delivered when it mattered. Julia Grzadkowska came off the bench to turn Savannah Reese's assist into a halftime lead, giving Aquinas a timely reward for its improved possession.
• More than damage control. The Saints generated twice as many second-half shots as the Warriors, 4–2, backing up Coach Zuniga-Gil's belief that a winning opportunity remained within reach.
• A foundation that held. Claire Fogarty's three saves and full-match efforts from Addyson Jacquemain and Katelynn Sterling helped AQ navigate an unfamiliar challenge without surrendering a second goal.
• October leaves little breathing room. Aquinas remains unbeaten in WHAC play, but Wednesday brings a direct test against a Lawrence Tech team sharing second place with the Saints.

Coach's Comments

It was Coach Zuniga-Gil's first visit to Indiana Tech with the Saints, but the warnings about a difficult place to play proved accurate. He valued the resolve his team showed after going a player down, while holding firm to the expectation that Aquinas must find ways to win WHAC matches on the road.

"We started slowly, but I thought we actually began playing better after we went down a player," Zuniga-Gil said. "We moved the ball well, scored before halftime and then made adjustments to our shape to limit their opportunities while still creating chances on the counterattack. We had a disconnect on their goal, and I felt we could have squeezed out a win. We wanted three points, but playing more than 60 minutes a player down is never easy. I was very proud of the effort, flexibility and willingness our players showed to make those changes and fight all the way through. Now we need to recover and get ready for some very big games, starting with Lawrence Tech on Wednesday."

Up Next

The Saints head to Southfield, Mich., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, for another key WHAC contest against Lawrence Tech. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the teams entering the matchup tied for second in the conference standings. Be sure to regularly visit AQSaints.com for schedule updates, live statistics, stories, features and complete coverage of Aquinas women's soccer and all other Saints sports.

It's a great day to be a Saint!

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. He's covered high school sports for 11 years at Grand Rapids–based WOOD-TV, following a 16-year tenure in sports reporting with the Grand Rapids Press and MLive. He also writes monthly high school features for the MHSAA website. His deep experience in capturing the heartbeat of local athletics now fuels his engaging coverage of Aquinas College sports.