No. 8 Iowa Western tops Northeast women

NORFOLK, Neb. – Despite an early lead in the first period, the Northeast Community College women's soccer team couldn't fend off No. 8 Iowa Western Community College on a chilly Wednesday night, dropping the match 3-1 at Memorial Field in Norfolk.

In the seventh minute, Ellie Gess sparked the Northeast offense, putting the ball past the Reiver goalie, thanks to an assist from Mary Perez to give the Hawks their first lead of the game.

With a little luck, Iowa Western tied the game after the ball deflected off a Northeast player and scurried into the back of the net. The Reivers ultimately took a 2-1 lead aided by a foul in the penalty box to set up a successful penalty kick.

"I felt we played really well in the first half," head coach Chad Miller said. "We were moving the ball well and finding space. Ellie had a great shot to get us up early and we had a couple others chances after but their goalie made some great saves. We made some mistakes on the defensive side of the ball that gave Iowa Western space and you cannot do that with a team like this. We felt good at halftime even though we were down a goal."

Not long into the second period, Iowa Western added a goal to seal the victory.

"In the second half I didn't think we played with the same intensity as we did in the first half," Miller added. "We definitely did not match Iowa Western at their intensity. Iowa Western did a great job attacking forward and taking away our options to go forward. We did find some space a couple times, but we were unable to create anything out of it. When you play teams like this you have to be running smooth on all cylinders, all the time. Overall I felt we played a good game. We have to increase our intensity and do better in some spots, but I felt we played well regardless."

Alexis Wemhoff tallied eight saves in the net for the Hawks. IWCC outshot Northeast 19-6.

The Hawks (6-5-1, 6-2 ICCAC) travel to take on Iowa Central Community College at 4 p.m., Saturday in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

For all news related to Northeast Community College athletics, visit northeasthawks.com for complete coverage. Fans can also follow the Hawks on Twitter @NortheastHawks for game-day coverage.