ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings women's soccer team will step back into conference play on Saturday, September 30 when they welcome the Catrhage Firebirds to Thorson-Lucken Field.
The Vikings currently sit at 8-1-1, 1-0 in the CCIW, and are riding an eight-game unbeaten streak dating back to September 3. In their most recent outing, Augie picked up a non-conference home victory over Illinois College on Wednesday, bouncing back from an early 1-0 deficit with first-half goals from
Carson Kekelik and
Maddie Feltner. Kekelik notched the first goal for the Vikings in the 35th minute after collecting a throw-in pass and taking it all the way into the box and into the back of the net. She then drew a foul in the box six minutes later to set up Feltner's penalty kick score.
Augustana continued to control the ball on the visitor's side of the field in the second half, owning another big shot disparity of 11-4. A total of 12 of the team's shots were on target, half of them coming in the final 45 minutes, but neither the Vikings or Lady Blues could add another tally to the scoreboard. Augustana fended off four looks at the net from Illinois College, including two on target, to complete the 2-1 victory.
Kekelik and
Liesl Whitener led Augie in shots with six apiece, followed by two each from Feltner and
Samira Khobdeh.
Janey Castoe and
Kierstyn Rogers combined for the win in net, each securing two saves.
Carthage enters Saturday with a 2-2-3 overall record. The Firebirds earned a draw in their lone CCIW contest this season, ended in a 1-1 tie with Illinois Wesleyan last Saturday. Carthage is winless since September 9, going 0-1-3 over that span. The Firebirds have not won a game on the road this season, with both of their victories coming earlier this month at home.
The Vikings hold a 19-8-2 advantage over the Firebirds in the all-time series and have won four in a row dating back to 2018. Augie defeated Carthage on the road last season by a final of 2-0.
Start time is scheduled for 1 p.m. Live coverage can be found
here.
