Joliet Junior College women's soccer capped off Sophomore Day with a strong 4-2 victory over Milwaukee Area Technical College on Saturday.
The Wolves (12-2) opened scoring in the first half when Victoria Davila found the back of the net in the 35th minute with an assist from Sophia DeCarlo, giving the Wolves a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Out of the break, Sophia Rausa extended the lead with a deep strike in the 58th minute. A few minutes later Davila continued her dominant performance, scoring again in the 65th minute with an assist from Hannah Moss, and later completing her hat trick in the 73rd minute with a long-range goal from just outside the box to make it 4-0. Moss assisted on that one also.
Milwaukee Area Technical College responded late, converting a penalty in the 83rd minute and adding another goal in the 84th minute, but JJC held firm to secure the 4-2 win.
Head coach Henry Cheung praised his team's ability to respond after back-to-back losses and the effort they showed for their sophomores.
"Today we wanted to play for our sophomores and our team did exactly that. We wanted to celebrate their impact and leadership, and I told the team before the game that it's their day. I'm very proud of the girls for competing against a very good team and executing the game plan," Cheung said.
Reflecting on his sophomore class, Cheung noted how far they've come since joining the program.
"Looking back two years ago when I recruited the sophomores, they were just high school players. Now they've matured, they've become leaders, and they've helped make this program a great one. I can't thank them enough for what they've done for the school and the program over the last two years. Today, we celebrate them," he said.
JJC looks to ride this momentum as they travel to Madison college Wednesday.
