Yellow Jackets Swarm Ravens in 5-0 Shutout

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance women's soccer team dominated its match with the visiting Anderson Ravens on Tuesday, October 16. The key 5-0 victory improved DC's record to 8-4-4 and 3-1-2 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, as the team makes a push for the conference tournament. The Ravens drop to 0-15 (0-6 HCAC).

In the first half, play started slow, as there was only one shot recorded by DC in the first eight minutes. Then the Jackets exploded with a barrage of shots over the rest of the game. In the 22nd minute Defiance grabbed a 1-0 lead, when it used a corner kick to its advantage. Sophomore Lindsay Bubnick placed it perfectly in the box and senior Katie Heitkamp headed it in for her first score of the year.

With Anderson rattled, the Jackets kept the pressure up and scored another goal just over two minutes later. Junior Karly Smith got by her defender and punched the ball past the Anderson goalie for a 2-0 advantage. The score was Smith's team leading sixth on the year.

Defiance continued to pound the net with shots, as it totaled 17 in the period, but could not knock any more in and took the two goal lead into intermission.

For the second period, things did not get any better for Anderson, as it hurt themselves with an own goal five minutes into the half that made its deficit 3-0. The Yellow Jackets were just too much for the Ravens, as the visitors could barely keep the ball on the DC side of the pitch.

Then in the 78th minute, Heitkamp added another score to the Defiance lead when she headed in her second goal of the game off a Kim Bingley throw in. 10 minutes later, Bingley grabbed her own opportunity from just inside the box and nailed a score off the crossbar for her first goal of the season.

Time ran out and the Jackets walked off the field with a crucial conference victory. On the afternoon, DC outshot Anderson 34-to-1 (17 in each half) for its most attempts on the year. The five goals were also a season high.

Defiance will travel to Lexington, Ky. for a battle with the Transylvania Pioneers on Saturday, October 20. Kickoff is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.