BABSON PARK, Fla. (October 21, 2021) – It was a tightly contested match for the Webber International University women's soccer team on Senior Day as they hosted the Ave Maria University Gyrenes on Thursday afternoon at the Warrior Grass Field. The Warriors were able to hold on for the 3-2 victory.
 
The match was close in terms of total shots, with the Warriors (10-2-1 overall, 4-2-0 SUN) having the slight edge with 16 shots compared to the Gyrenes (8-6-0, 2-4-0) 14. Ave Maria however, outshot Webber in terms of shots on goal, 8-6.
 
Less than four minutes into the match, the Gyrenes would strike first after a long-shot from Hannah Dalton would find the back of the net. However, it would take just three more minutes for the Warriors to respond with a long-shot of their own after Deborah Guillen would let loose a shot from outside the box, making it past the outstretched arms of the Ave Maria goalie.
 
In the 15th minute, Webber would earn a free-kick just outside the box. Faith Cullen-Cooper would step up to the ball and strike it into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal to gain the lead for the Warriors, 2-1. Just before halftime, Webber would extend its lead yet further after a pass from Domenica Pena would find Versailles Clark to make it 3-1 heading into the half.
 
Just under five minutes after the restart, Ave Maria would score another goal and close the gap to just one. The Warriors stood strong and retained the majority of the possession in the second half, seeing out their 3-2 victory.
 
Senior goalkeeper Natalie Bartek finished the match with six saves, all of which came in the first half. Seniors Leah Hockenberry, Emilie Velez, and Malia Domingo all had strong performances leading the way for Webber.
 
11 seniors were honored before the match including Bartek, Hockenberry, Domingo, Velez, Valerie Guevara, Charlee Lutton, Mackenzie Pagan, Hannah Rast, Alyssa Rivera, Kaley Walsh, and Brook O'Hagan.
 
Head Coach Erik Casterline spoke after the match saying, "It was a very good win against a very good team. I felt like even though last week was tough in terms of results, we still had a lot of positives to take from those games. Today we were able to put together a more complete performance and that led to getting the result."
 
The final three matches of Warriors' regular season will be spent on the road as they first take on No. 2 Keiser University on Saturday, October 23, at 1 p.m. Their next match will be against another nationally ranked opponent, Southeastern University before closing out the 2021 season against Thomas University.