EUREKA, Ill. –
Mimi Pulido (
So.-Sheboygan, Wis.) scored three goals in her first match back from a knee injury and the Lakeland College women's soccer team opened its season with a 9-0 win over Eureka (Ill.) College Tuesday afternoon in a non-conference match.
Freshman
Stephanie Figueroa (
Round Lake Park, Ill.) added two goals and an assist in her debut and in all six players scored goals as the Muskies turned away the Red Devils easily for the second straight year. Lakeland also defeated Eureka 9-0 last year.
Pulido scored three consecutive goals for the Muskies bookending the first and second halves. She tallied at 37:26 of the match with an assist from
Brianne Frank (
Jr.-Plain, Wis.) to give Lakeland a 5-0 lead, and then twice early in the second half. The first goal was assisted by Figueroa and came just 3:58 into the second half, and the sophomore forward found the net again in the 66th minute with an assist from
Marissa Brakob (
Fr.-Hustisford, Wis.).
Pulido also added an assist on a goal by
Karen Hjelle (
Jr.-Malone, Wis.) in the first half and finished the match with 15 shots attempted, eight on goal. She is returning from a knee injury to the ACL suffered last year in the Muskies' third match of the season that kept her out the remainder of her freshman year.
Figueroa added two unassisted goals in her collegiate debut, one in each half.
Kelly Jens (
Sr.-Sheboygan Falls, Wis.),
Tiffany Fischer (
So.-Sheboygan Falls, Wis.) and
Afton Barrows (
Jr.-Iron Mountain, Mich.) also all added single goals.
Jens scored the game's opening goal to break the ice just 3:13 into the match. Fischer scored her first career goal later in the first half, with her goal giving the Muskies a 3-0 lead in the 33rd minute. Barrows also added a goal late in the second half, the first collegiate goal for the regular on the Lakeland defense, with Hjelle adding an assist.
Melissa Noll (
Jr.-Green Bay, Wis.) made three saves in goal in her first collegiate soccer start to earn the shutout. Lakeland outshot Eureka 39-3 for the match.
The Muskies are back in central Illinois this weekend for a pair of matches in Jacksonville hosted by Illinois College. Lakeland will face Westminster (Mo.) College on Saturday at 1 p.m. and then takes on Spalding (Ky.) University on Sunday at 1 p.m.
