Down 1-0 with less than three minutes to play, Westmont’s Malory Mitchell scored her fifth goal of the season sending the contest with No. 13 Martin Methodist (2-1) into overtime. Nearly four minutes later, Brooke Lillywhite found the back of the net to give second-ranked Westmont a 2-1 women’s soccer win.
The game was played at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky. Tomorrow, the Warriors will take on their third-ranked hosts in what has been designated the NAIA Game of the Week.
Westmont (5-0) struggled to get its offense going in the first half and found itself fending off five shots by the RedHawks in the first 16 minutes of play. Lauren Dorr recorded five saves in the game to keep the Warriors in the contest.
“I thought (senior defender) Sophie Judd was the player of the game,” said Westmont head coach Kristi Kiley. “Nothing got past her tonight.”
After a scoreless first half, the RedHawks broke the ice with an unassisted goal in the 64th minute by Caroline Ladaga da Silva.
“We had a lot of adversity to overcome tonight,” said Kiely. “The field was in bad condition and the officiating was not good. Then we went down one goal. But the players fought their way through the adversity. One of the reasons we go on these trips is to improve by having to face adversity.”
Mitchell’s goal in the 88th minute gave the Warriors the opportunity they needed. Lillywhite, playing in just her second game this season, dribbled the ball down the right side, then saw an opening and passed across the field to Mitchell. The senior captain, who has scored in the last three games, beat two or three defenders and placed the ball in the net at the far post.
The overtime period belonged to the Warriors. Westmont’s Kelsey Steck took a shot in the 91st minute that went wide. Tiffany Dimaculangan fired off a shot in the 93rd minute that was saved by Martin Methodist keeper Jhani Williams. Steck fired again in the 95th minute with Williams producing another save.
The golden goal came in the 99th minute. Steck passed the ball to Lillywhite who took one touch to put the ball in the goal before collapsing on the field in both celebration and exhaustion.
“It’s great to see Brooke have an impact so quickly after returning to the team,” said Kiely. “She is an important player for us as we move forward in the season.”
