Prior to Oct. 12’s contest at Aurora University (Illinois), head coach Ryan Quamme emphasized that the No. 7 UW-Whitewater women’s soccer team needed to finish the non-conference season on a high note. The Warhawks did just that, shutting out Aurora University 2-0 in Aurora, and ultimately extending their winning streak to 13 games.

Similar to the last several games, the Warhawks came out of the gate with a rapid offense. Not even two minutes in, sophomore forward Karina Rosales scored her third goal of the season to put UW-W up 1-0 early.

“Brianna Reid was out, and Karina stepped in,” head coach Ryan Quamme said. “Karina scored a lot of goals for being a sophomore in our program. I think it took her a little bit longer to find her rhythm this year than she’d like, but she’s found it now.”

Throughout the rest of the first half, the Warhawk offense kept Aurora’s goalkeeper Taylor Joiner busy by producing multiple shots on goal. Despite the multiple chances, including a crossbar shot by junior midfielder Marie Lesperance, Joiner was able to keep the Spartans within striking distance.

UW-W’s stingy defense allowed zero shots on goal.

The Warhawks began the second half roaring on offense once again, quickly placing the pressure on the Spartan defense. Just 1:58 seconds in to the second half, senior forward Carly Pottle increased the ‘Hawks lead to 2-0 on a Rosales assist. Interestingly enough, the Warhawks’ second half goal occurred at the exact same time when they scored in the first half.

Later in the half, Rosales almost scored her second goal of the day but was denied by Joiner. Despite the chances, UW-W was unable to muster any more goals as the Warhawks cruised to victory 2-0.

Quamme said he emphasized improvement for the offense after they created multiple chances throughout the game.

“Finishing is hard in this game at times, but we’re creating chances,” Quamme said. “I’d be a lot more worried if we weren’t creating chances, but it’s something we’re going to keep working on to be a little bit more precise as we enter postseason play.”

Quamme said he praised the defense that allowed no goals in a game for the seventh time this season.

“We’ve had a great run in the back, and we had a stretch before the Aurora game where we have [allowed] a couple goals that weren’t like us,” Quamme said. They’ve done a great job. They play simple. They limit chances for our opponents which makes it difficult for them to score.”

With the win, the ‘Hawks improved to 14-1 overall and extended its winning streak to 13 games.

The team also finished its non-conference schedule with an 11-1 record.

The Warhawks extended their winning streak to 14 games Oct. 15 with a 3-0 shutout win over UW-River Falls at Fiskum Field, advancing their WIAC record to 4-0.

The ’Hawks did not fool around when the first whistles blew, as they took immediate control of the ball and took an early 1-0 lead in the 4th minute off a goal by senior forward Carly Pottle. It was Pottle’s 8th  goal of the season and third in the last
four games.

Pottle said she applauded her team for making it easier for her to be so consistent on offense.

“They make it easy for me,” Pottle said. “I’m in the right place at the right time, but I give them all the credit.”

UW-W had what seemed an easy chance to take a 2-0 lead in the 17th minute when senior forward Brianna Reid ran the distance of the field dribbling the ball but was denied at the goal by  Falcon senior goalkeeper
Erica Cimochowski.

Cimochowski made another gutsy stop in the 32nd minute when she stopped sophomore forward Emily Mouille’s kick, and did not allow a goal for the remainder of the first half.

“She [Cimochoswki] was very good,” Pottle said. “We were not expecting her to be able to hold the ball like that. We were able to test her, but she shot
us down.”

UW-W’s consistent offense continued in the second half, not allowing UW-RF to gain much traction on offense.

Eight minutes in, sophomore forward Kaci Schonert had two opportunities to score, but both of her kicks were blocked. But, the Warhawks were finally able to extend their lead 2-0 in the 55th minute when junior midfielder Marie Lesperance scored off a Falcon deflection.

“She [Lesperance] is also very consistent,” Pottle said. She’s everywhere. She can find anyone on the field. She’s got a great shot so it’s glad to see her
score goals.”

The ’Hawks had a flurry of corner kicks throughout the second half, including two in the 66th minute by sophomore forward Emily Mouille, but the Falcon defense was able to withstand the momentum.

UW-RF almost cut UW-W’s lead to one in the 82nd minute when forward Kayla Windingstad’s shot was mere inches away from the goal line. Ultimately, the Warhawks were able to kick the ball away and keep the
Falcons scoreless.

In the 85th minute, Mouille scored to extend the lead to 3-0, and put the game away for UW-W.

With the win, the Warhawks improved to 15-1 overall and improved to 4-0 in WIAC play.

UW-W ended the night with 13 shots on goal and three saves, while UW-RF finished with just three shots on goal and 10 saves.

The Warhawks have a tough stretch of road games next week when they travel to Platteville Oct. 19 and La Crosse Oct. 22. If they manage to win both games, UW-W will clinch the WIAC, and break the school record for most games won consecutively.