It took 84 minutes, but the University of Northern Iowa womens soccer team finally found the back of the net against Grand View University Tuesday night.
The goal came when a handball was called on the Vikings in the penalty area, which allowed UNI junior Caitlyn Fuller to give the Panthers a late lead. Fuller stepped up and slotted the ball past the Grand View keeper, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers scored again in the 89th minute when sophomore Maddie Welch received a pass from senior Claire Clark and made the shot.
Senior goalkeepers Erin Zaideman and Nicole Postel, who each played one half, recorded a shutout in the 2-0 win.
The game was the last of the regular season, marking the end for eight seniors.
Senior Allie Brees was given the teams senior honorary award for good on-and-off the field leadership.
She came in as a freshman but acted like a senior her whole career. In four years of playing for me, I dont recall her having one bad practice or game, said UNI head coach James Price. She came out and was the same person and player every day for us.
My career has been so much fun at UNI, said Brees. I wouldnt have wanted to spend the last four years anywhere else. This season has been a tough one for us, but we were able to end it the right way tonight on a positive note.
The Panthers finished with a final record of 4-15.
It hurts to lose so many games, but we have a group of girls that we think will learn from those losses and come back stronger from them next season and be the team that finds ways to win those close games next year, said Price.
Though the Panthers will lose eight players, thats only one-fourth of the total roster.
For next season, Price said the team needs to concentrate on staying focused for the 90-minute games.
There were times this season where our girls would turn off, which is something you cant do. That and get a little more mentally tougher and score more goals are all things we need to improve on before next season, said Price.
