ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Lindenwood women's soccer team (7-4-4, 4-2-1 OVC) picked up a massive 1-0 win over Eastern Illinois (8-5-3, 5-1-1 OVC) at Hunter Stadium on Thursday afternoon to insert themselves firmly into the conference title race. The Lions looked strong for the entire 90 minutes, finding the deciding goal late in the second half.

Match Overview
The Lions dominated the first half, holding 62% of the possession and outshooting the Panthers 11-2, with 77% of their ball control coming on EIU's half of the field. The Lions generated multiple quality chances, including one shot on goal by Lily Sutter and a pair of shots off the posts by Rachel Jackson and Mackenzie Compton.

However, Lindenwood could not find the back of the net and despite applying continued pressure in the second half, the score remained 0-0 with less than seven minutes remaining in the game.

LU's high work rate would eventually pay off in the 84th minute, with Mackenzie Compton getting on the end of a ball down the right sideline, shielding off an EIU defender before finding an open Anna Johnson in the center of the box. The composed Johnson settled the ball before burying it into the right of the net for the game winning score.

Match Notes

• Thursday's victory was the first for Lindenwood over Eastern Illinois, with the Lions now possessing a series record of 1-1-2.
• Eastern has pitched three consecutive shutouts with Caroline Ritter now leading the OVC with nine clean sheets on the season.
• The Lions outshot the Panthers 24-8 in the match, with seven shots on goal compared to just two for Eastern. LU matched their season-high for shots in a game.
• Lindenwood generated seven corner kick opportunities while conceding zero to the opposition.
• The Lions only committed two fouls on the afternoon, with both coming in the second half.

Quotable
"Today was a big win for our group", said Lindenwood head coach Dave Musso. "We were fantastic in all phases of the game. It was great to have a full 90 performance. It's getting closer to post-season so hitting this level is where we need to be as we finish the regular season."

Next Up
Lindenwood travels to Evansville on Sunday to take on Southern Indiana in another crucial conference clash. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.