Box Score RICHMOND, Ky. – Indiana State women's soccer faced off with the Eastern Kentucky Colonels Saturday afternoon (Aug. 12) inside the EKU soccer complex. The Sycamores defeated the Colonels 2-1.

The Sycamores came out firing and ready to play despite the rainy day here in Richmond, Ky.  In the very first minute of the match Katie Wells took the ball up the right flank before ripping a cross into the box where Tessa Leong slid through, feet first with a finish to give ISU the early lead.

Indiana State held onto this momentum throughout the first half with the midfield and backline showing tremendous amounts of composure. Goalkeeper Hannah Sullivan continuously made smart decisions off the line coming away with four saves in the first 45.

Despite struggles to break through the EKU backline during the middle of the half, Wells broke out with the ball in the 32^nd minute when senior Kasey Wallace sent a long pass forward. Wells found herself in the open and beat the keeper one vs. one to put Indiana State up by two goals leading into halftime.

The Sycamores started the second half with notably strong defensive performances from Lindsey Anstine and Wallace. The pair stopped multiple attacks from the Eastern Kentucky offense early in the half.

"Going into the game a main focus for us was to stay organized defensively. For stretches we did a good job of staying patient while keeping the play in front of us which we struggled to do in our first exhibition match," said head coach Julie Hanley.

Indiana State regained offensive momentum drawing two corner kicks early, but were unable to finish off either chance. They Sycamore offense battled a physical backline which held them to only three shots during the second half of play.

ISU was relentless defensively, but gave up a corner in the 80^th minute which resulted in a scramble inside the six yard box and an EKU goal, making the score 2-1.

Sullivan came away with ten saves on the day while Wells finished with one shot, one goal and one assist. Sophomore Tessa Leong also had a strong performance with two shots both being on frame and a goal of her own during the match.

"I was pleased with our effort tonight and thought we had some great moments. Some individuals really stood out and raised their level of play, our backline was solid especially the play from Kasey Wallace and Lindsey Anstine. Hannah Sullivan continues to make saves that keep us in games. It was an overall good team win, but we will need to get better every day if we want to be successful in the MVC."

Indiana State soccer returns to action on Aug. 18 in Terre Haute, Ind. to take on the UIC Flames in their 2017 season opener. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. (ET) under the brand new lights in Memorial Stadium. Admission to Sycamore soccer is free and the season opener will be televised world-wide on The Valley on ESPN3.

"This is just the beginning for this young group, they realize we have our work cut out for us and it only gets harder from here. Tomorrow we get back to work and focus on getting better every day and holding ourselves to a higher standard," said Hanley.

For the latest information on the Sycamore Soccer team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.