RIPON, Wis. -- The Ripon College women's soccer team split a pair of matches over the weekend, falling to Knox College, 1-0, in its first Midwest Conference matchup of the season Saturday before defeating Buena Vista University, 3-1, Sunday at Hopp Stadium.
Knox 1, Ripon 0
Ripon opened conference play Saturday at Knox College, battling the Prairie Fire through a scoreless first half. The Red Hawks recorded three corner kicks in the opening half while sophomore Kaitlan Adkins (Milwaukee, Wis., Brown Deer HS) made two saves in goal.
The defensive battle continued into the second half, with Adkins making four additional saves to finish with six stops on the afternoon. Ripon generated four total shots, including two from sophomore Lizzy Schmitz (Sheboygan, Wis., Sheboygan Lutheran HS), while junior Addison Misner (Richland, Mich., Gull Lake HS) and senior Rebecca Roszel (Fremont, Calif., Irvington HS) also recorded shots.
Knox broke through in the 83rd minute, scoring the lone goal of the match. Ripon continued to pressure late, with Schmitz and Roszel each getting a shot in the final minutes, but the Red Hawks were unable to find the equalizer.
Ripon 3, Buena Vista 1
The Red Hawks returned home Sunday and responded with a three-goal performance against Buena Vista, earning their third win of the season.
Ripon took a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute when the Red Hawks scored on an own goal from Buena Vista. Ripon maintained the advantage through halftime, outshooting Buena Vista 6-1 in the opening 45 minutes.
The Red Hawks added to their lead in the 56th minute when senior Alyssa Klementzos (Salem, Wis., Westosha Central HS) found the back of the net. Klementzos was active throughout the match, finishing with a team-high seven shots, including five on goal.
Buena Vista cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 60th minute, but Ripon quickly answered. In the 65th minute, Schmitz converted a penalty kick to push the Red Hawks' lead back to two goals.
Ripon controlled the remainder of the match to secure the 3-1 victory. The Red Hawks finished with a 16-4 advantage in shots, while Adkins made two saves in the complete-game effort. Schmitz finished with four shots, including one on goal, while Roszel added a shot on target.
Following the weekend split, Ripon moves to 3-4-0 overall and 0-1-0 in conference play. The Red Hawks will return to Midwest Conference action Wednesday, Sept 23, hosting Beloit College at 7pm at Hopp Stadium.
