Lady Warriors fall to Williams Baptist

Williams Baptist (AR) secured a decisive 4-0 victory over Sterling College on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Sterling, Kan. Williams Baptist scored three first-half goals to establish an early lead, with the fourth goal added in the second half. The Eagles defense maintained a shutout, while their offense outshot Sterling 26-8.

The first half began with Sterling's Bella Duckworth making three crucial saves within the opening 17 minutes, denying Williams Baptist an early advantage. Despite her efforts, Williams Baptist capitalized with back-to-back goals in the 19th and 20th minutes, quickly followed by a third in the 31st minute to extend their lead. Sterling's attempts to respond included shots from Jessica Gautreau and Francesca Vilca, but they went wide as the home team sought to close the gap before halftime. The score was 3-0 in favor of Williams Baptist at the end of the first half.

The second half began with intense defensive efforts from Sterling, despite being down a player due to an injury to Cheyenne Siler towards the end of the first half. The Lady Warrior's defense was highlighted by Duckworth's multiple saves, including a critical stop in the 49th minute against Yajaira Alvarado.

Despite a series of attempts by Shayna Dale and Gautreau, Sterling's offense faced strong resistance from Williams Baptist's goalkeeper, Lisa Craig. As the half progressed, Williams Baptist broke through Sterling's defense with Mackenzie Souers scoring in the 83rd minute, sealing a 4-0 victory. The score remained 4-0 at the end of the match.

Gautreau led Sterling with four shots, two of which were on goal. Dale contributed offensively with two shots, one of them on target. Duckworth made seven saves over 90 minutes, facing 11 shots on goal.

Sterling holds an overall record of 2-1-0 following their recent match. Next up for the Lady Warriors will be Thursday, Sept. 6 in Oklahoma City, Okla. taking on the Oklahoma City Stars (3-0-1).

Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.