Inspirational Effort Falls Short on Senior Day

ANKENY, Iowa—The Faith Eagles women's soccer team took on fifth-ranked Maranatha on Senior Day at Faith, but fell short in front of a great home crowd by the score of 4-1. With the loss, the Eagles have lost three straight as their overall record fell to 4-4 on the season.

Down three of its starters, including their goalie, Faith got an inspirational effort from the entire team. Sophomore forward Lyndi Shepard, the team leader in scoring, stepped in as goalkeeper for the first time since seventh grade, and performed admirably, saving 12 out of the 16 shots that came her way.

Other than a rough fifteen minute stretch in the first half, Faith played neck and neck with the Sabercats. Maranatha scored at the 4:28 mark of the first half, and again at 9:32 and 20:59 to make it 3-0. Lydia Trygstad got the Eagles on the board with her second goal of the year midway through the first half, and the score remained 3-1 at intermission.

The Faith defense held their ground most of the second half, allowing just one goal with less than five minutes remaining, giving Maranatha a 4-1 victory.

The Eagles missed Shepard's offense, as they were only able to muster one goal. It was the third straight game the Eagles have only managed to score one goal after a record-breaking start to the season when they scored 30 times over the span of four games.

Faith honored its two seniors (Laura Christensen and Madison Morton) with an emotional tribute at the conclusion of the game.

The next match for the Eagles is Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. on the road against William Penn (5-8-1).