Box Score Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Aquinas women's soccer team extended their winning streak to three games after a narrow 2-1 home win over Rochester Christian Wednesday night. The Saints, who beat the Warriors for the 11th straight time, improved to a perfect 2-0 in the WHAC and pushed their overall record above .500 for the first time this season at 4-3.
Aquinas 2, Rochester Christian 1
When it comes to the WHAC play, a win is a win.
It doesn't always matter how, it's just a matter of doing enough to get the desired result when your team doesn't play their absolute best.
The Saints were tested against a feisty and upset-minded Rochester Christian team that gave them all they could handle until the final whistle.
A strong second-half performance defensively, coupled with a late-goal to snap a 1-1 deadlock, carried Aquinas to its second consecutive win in the WHAC.
Junior forward Khloe Koelling was the hero for the Saints after blasting a shot into the back of the net in the 77th minute.
The game-winning goal was assisted by sophomore Raegan LaCross.
It was Koelling's second goal of the season, as she's emerged into a key offensive threat as evidence by her team-leading 10 shots on goal.
For the second straight match, junior midfielder Julia Grzadkowska put the Saints on the board first with an early tally.
In the 5th minute, her second goal of the season, off a pretty pass from Savannah Reese, gave Aquinas a 1-0.
Rochester Christian answered in the 31st minute when Makenna Kennedy scored past Claire Fogarty to make it 1-1.
Aquinas' defense shined in the last 45 minutes by not allowing a second-half goal for only the second time this season.
Fogarty made three critical saves in the final 5 minutes to preserve the win.
Inside the Numbers
- A combined 28 shots were taken between the two teams with Aquinas securing the slight edge with 15, which included seven on goal.
- Aquinas goalkeeper Claire Fogarty, who recently was named WHAC Defensive Players of the Week for the second time, played 90 minutes in net and recorded seven saves.
- The Saints had a season-high in fouls with 17, compared to eight for the Warriors.
- Corner kicks: Aquinas (3), Rochester Christian (2)
- Khloe Koelling registered a team-high five shots, including two shots on goal.
Coach's Comments
Head Coach Mario Zuniga-Gil: "It wasn't our cleanest night in the fluidity of our play tonight, but they (Rochester Christian) fought so hard, just like Cleary did on Saturday, and they gave us a lot of problems. It was close, and I was just very thankful that we found a way to get the second goal in. For Chloe, she's one of the hardest workers we have and that was one was a big one for her. I'm super happy for her because she was very deserving of that moment. I thought we were a little shaky at moments in the back, but in the second half our backline was exceptional and they won every battle. They were reliable and fought super hard."
Up Next
The Saints (4-3, 2-0 WHAC) hit the road Friday for a non-conference match against the MIAA's Olivet College. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. Be sure to visit AQSaints.com for live statistics and complete postgame coverage of Aquinas women's soccer and all other Saints sports.
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.
