GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Just like any other rivalry in sports, the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference women's soccer matchup between No. 14 Davenport and Aquinas delivered a lot of drama in front of a crowded DU Turf Field Wednesday night.
 
After a physical battle between the two Beltline rivals, it was the Saints who wound up on top with the match's only goal at 88:24, handing the Panthers their first loss on home pitch in 25 matches.
 
A corner kick by Claire Krohn was knocked out of the penalty box by the Davenport (8-3-1, 2-2-0 WHAC) defense but Brenna Cojeen sent the loose ball back into the crowd, and not only it snuck through, it ricocheted of the left post and settled inside the goal.
 
The Panthers tried to rally back but time was definitely against them. The closest chance they got to was a blast by Shameeka Fishley within the final seconds but Saints keeper Lindsay Armstrong made a perfectly timed jump to preserve the win for Aquinas (9-1-2, 3-0-1 WHAC).
 
Davenport had numerous chances to break the ice before the Saints did. Paige Eli and Leah Hardy both took shots that ended up hitting the crossbar and Fishley had a breakaway and fired a shot that was inches off the right post. The Panthers went on to tally 14 shots overall, four on goal.
 
Tara Gessler made several brilliant saves between the posts on the evening. The junior went on to make six saves.
 
The Panthers return to the pitch Saturday when they join the men's squad in part of a doubleheader with Indiana Tech. The women will kick off the day at 4 p.m. and the men will clash on the Turf Field at approximately 7 p.m.
 
Post-Match Notes
Davenport falls to 6-8-1 in the all-time series with Aquinas…The last Panthers loss on the Turf Field was to NCAA Division II Malone on Oct. 21, 2011, their last WHAC loss at home was to Siena Heights four years ago tomorrow
 
Women's Soccer Contact: Rick Hoskin | 616-871-6180 | rhoskin@davenport.edu
DU Athletics: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
Women's Soccer: Facebook | Twitter