The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 2 – Western Illinois 1
Record: ORU (6-4-1) – WIU (2-4-3)
Location: Northwest Field (Macomb, Ill.)

MACOMB, Ill. – Behind a Sophie Nash goal in the 60th minute, the Oral Roberts women's soccer team overcame rainy conditions to defeat Western Illinois, 2-1, in their Summit League opener Friday afternoon in Macomb, Illinois. With the win, the Golden Eagles, who entered conference play with their best record since 2013, are now 12-7-3 in Summit League openers.

The Leathernecks struck first in the 34th minute courtesy of a penalty kick by Amy Andrews. Four minutes later, Samantha Guzman provided the answer for ORU as the sophomore tapped in a corner kick to level the score at 1-1. Angie Machado picked up her third assist of the season on the goal.

The two sides remained deadlocked at the break despite the Golden Eagles dominating play offensively as they outshot the Leathernecks, 16-5. 

ORU jumped in front for the first time on the afternoon in the 60th minute as Nash connected on her second goal of the season from the right corner of the 18-yard box. The sophomore blasted the game-winning goal off her left foot and into the left upper corner of the goal. Jordan Grigsby was credited with her third assist of the year on the goal.

The Golden Eagles defense took care of business the rest of the way as ORU did not allow a second half shot by the Leathernecks.

Quote from Head Coach Austin Risenhoover
"Super proud of the girls today. Rainy conditions, played at the practice field and went down on a penalty kick, but our behaviors came through throughout the game. I thought it was a dominating performance as we did not allow a single shot in the second half. We've talked about conference play being all about winning and we found a way to come back from a 1-0 deficit. We have to give the team a lot of credit. We played 22 players and our depth really helped us today. We are starting to have the belief and mentality to win, I love it."

Inside the Box Score

• Overall, ORU outshot Western Illinois 26-5 on the afternoon.
• In the second half, the Golden Eagles did not allow a shot attempt.
• Louisa Ramsauer played all 90 minutes in goal and recorded two saves.
• ORU registered five corner kicks on the afternoon. 

Up Next
ORU remains on the road as they travel to St. Paul, Minnesota, for a Summit League match against St. Thomas Sunday, September 25 at noon.

For the latest information on ORU women's soccer, follow @ORUWSoccer on Twitter or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics App in the Google Play or App Store.