ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University women's soccer team opened the home portion of their schedule tonight on Shive Field in Zollner Stadium with a 0-0 draw against visiting Ohio Wesleyan University.
"It was another hard-fought battle for us tonight against a very capable opponent," explained head coach Gary Boughton, "Our team is working hard every day and it's paid off defensively as shown again tonight."
Despite the praise for the strong defense, the Thunder did have the opening offensive chance of the contest. A pass up the middle of the field in the fourth minute of the contest led sophomore Abby Robison behind the defense. Her shot on goal went low and to the right forcing a diving save from the Battling Bishops' keeper.
A second shot on goal came four minutes later from junior Blair Wright forcing another diving effort from the opposition.
After that shot the rest of the half was mostly quiet for both teams. Ohio Wesleyan did have a pair of shots through the stretch but neither posed much of a threat and were easily saved by junior Sophie Aschemeier in net.
The Bishops found a groove in the second half offensively and the defense for the Thunder began to show all the work they have done this season. The visiting side posted 11 shots in the second half with two coming on goal, all were turned aside to keep the game scoreless.
The best chance for a goal came for Ohio Wesleyan with 20 minutes remaining in the contest. A foul against Trine gave the Bishops a free kick deep in the offensive zone. They placed the set piece perfectly in the box allowing a shot with Aschemeier slightly out of position. That shot hit the post and bounced back in front of the net where another shot was taken, this time turned aside by a block from the defense.
Robison was the strongest offensive asset throughout the game for the Thunder. She led the game with six shots with two coming on goal and spent a good portion of the night battling with the last line of defense for the visitors.
"I'm proud of the resolve and resiliency that the team has shown so far this season," continued Boughton, "It's my job in the next few days to find ways for us to score more goals and we will continue to work toward our goals."
The Thunder finish the day 1-0-3 following the draw. They will continue their season when they host Centre College on Sunday, September 10 for a 1 p.m. contest that is set to be played in Zollner Stadium again.
