GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Today the Calvin University women's soccer welcomed the Eagles of Wisconsin-La Crosse for a top-25 showdown. Coming into tonight's match up the Eagles were ranked No. 6 while the Knights came in ranked No. 22.
 
As the first half got underway, Calvin struck first in the twelfth minute when Elie Farrell (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) received the ball on the left flank. She surged forward to the endline before sending a low cross into the six-yard box. Among several Eagle defenders, freshman Olivia Rawls (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) got a toe on it and sent the ball underneath the diving goalkeeper to give Calvin an early 1-0 lead. 
 
However, just five minutes later La Crosse retaliated by sending a soaring ball into the top right corner to even things up at 1-1. For the rest of the half both defenses locked in and things remained neck-and-neck heading into halftime.
 
In the second half, things were quiet for both sides until the 50th minute when the Eagles goalkeeper came charging out of the net and collided with a Calvin attacker. The whistle blew as the referee signaled for a penalty kick for the Knights. Not willing to give up such a golden opportunity, junior Mia Judd (Grand Ledge, Mich./Lansing Christian) stepped up and calmly sent the ball into the back of the net as Calvin reclaimed the lead.
 
For the rest of the half the Calvin defense worked diligently to stop any and all scoring attempts by the Eagles. In the 87th minute, the Knights saw an attacking opportunity as senior Liz Williams (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) found a streaking Mikaela Waroway (Ann Arbor, Mich./Father Gabriel Richard) down the right side. Waroway drew two Eagle defenders to her before finding freshman Vivian Nagelkirk (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) in the middle of the field. Feeling a defender on her back, Nagelkirk rolled past her and sent a bending ball past the La Crosse goalkeeper to extend the Calvin lead.
 
With just one minute left in the game the Eagle became desperate as they peppered the Knight defense with shots. On one attempt that looked surely like it would be a goal, Judd showed off her defending abilities as she stepped in front at the last second and deflected the shot away. Finally, the final whistle blew and the Knights celebrated as they nabbed their second consecutive win over a top-ten ranked team.
 
While the Eagles outshot the Knights 21-12, Calvin goalkeeper Kalex Dodge (Leslie, Mich./Leslie) posted five saves during the victory.
 
COACHES COMMENT: "Tonight was a really good game from both sides," said head coach Emily Ottenhoff. "UWL is a really good team that caused us to have to make a lot of decisions defensively. Credit to our team for following the plan we set out for them and then finding a way to get results. Huge credit to my assistant Annette for the great scout and communication of our plan to our group. We have to get back to work quickly to get ready for #1 Washington University on Monday."
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Monday, September 23rd when they welcome No. 1 Washington University to Zuidema Field. Kickoff is set for 3:00 PM.