ELMHURST, Ill. - The Kalamazoo College women's soccer team played its fifth game in eight days on the road against Elmhurst on Thursday evening (Sept. 15). For the third time in four games, the Hornets emerged victorious by a score of 2-0. Led by the defensive play, Kalamazoo allowed only a single shot for all 90 minutes in the winning effort.

"The team has had quite the stretch of games the past couple of days," said Head Coach Bryan Goyings. "It was nice to bounce back with a complete performance after a tough result yesterday."

The Hornets dominated the offensive possession in the first half and created many scoring opportunities. The team took 17 total shots in the first 45 minutes, with 11 having a chance to score. The first goal was scored right after kickoff, within the first 20 seconds. After the ball made its way through the Bluejay defense, Ellie Andrews set up Destiny Garcia to take the early lead. Garcia quickly put away her first goal of the year in the lower right-hand corner of the net. The score remained the same heading into the locker rooms at halftime.

Coach Goyings was pleased about taking the lead quickly, saying, "The early goal was an excellent combination between Ellie and Destiny, really putting us in a position to control play."

The tempo slowed slightly in the second half, but Kalamazoo extended its lead in the 58th minute to take the two-goal advantage. Garcia was also involved in the second goal by setting up teammate Holly Bowling for her first season goal. Bowling went top shelf in the upper right-hand corner to give the Hornets some cushion and the eventual 2-0 win.

"Holly has had a strong collection of games this past week, and it was nice to see her find the back of the net as well," added Coach Goyings.

Lexi Nesbitt (3-2-2) did not have to make a save in the shutout victory as the defense did not allow the Bluejays to get close enough. Kalamazoo ended the game with more shots (25-1), corner kicks (4-1), and fouls (11-7), while Elmhurst collected all 13 saves in the contest.

The Hornets will begin MIAA play against Alma on Tuesday (Sept. 27) by traveling to Alma, Mich., as kickoff is set for 4 p.m.