Kearney, Neb. – Junior Gracie Perez scored two first half goals and junior Hanna Schimmer added an insurance one in the second half to help Nebraska Kearney beat Western Colorado, 3-1, Friday afternoon at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium.
The game was part of a second straight home tournament with 20th-ranked and defending national runner up Washburn blasting Black Hills State, 6-0, in the early contest. UNK (4-0-1) faces BHSU (0-3-2) Sunday at 2 p.m. after WU (3-2-0) takes on the Mountaineers (1-4-0) at 11 a.m.
This five-game stretch is the best in school history, surpassing 3-0-2 efforts by the 2013 and 2016 Lopers.
UNK controlled much of the first half, out shooting WCU by a 13-3 margin and having three more corners. In the sixth minute, junior Kea Barnes (Aurora, Colo.) set up for corner with her effort landing in the left box. Perez (Kearney H.S.) was there to head the ball and nudge into the goal.
“Honestly, sometimes the ball just falls in your favor and that’s what it was. Gracie did a good job of getting on it, little bit of a lucky spin and it ends up in the back of the net,” said UNK head coach Rob Breton. “Soon after, that kid hit an absolute belter; what a goal. That’s just the girls learning to take momentum and shift it.”
About 11 minutes later, the Lopers moved ahead 2-0 as Perez fired a rocket from the left wing and about 25 yards out. She is up to three career goals and becomes the 10th Loper to score twice in a game. Freshman Daniella Iaquinta (Aurora, Colo.) joined that group last Sunday.
“What we can do better is in the first five minutes. They had the control, they had the flow, they had everything we were looking for,” said Breton. “We have to do a better job of coming out right away.”
Western altered its starting lineup in the second half and that led to some more ball possession. UNK also substituted a bit more with junior Ellie Kubena following Perez’s lead and going to the top shelf in the 64th minute to make it just a one goal game.
“In the second half we became a little bit complacent. We were controlling the game, we were doing all these things, we had done all this great stuff, we had the lead. And then they get a goal and suddenly they have the momentum and energy,” said Breton. “We must learn not to give energy to the other team. We need to learn to control tempo; when do we need to go, when do we need to slow down, when we need to dictate the flow.”
The Lopers peppered reserve keeper Aubree Orosco with several shots down the stretch with Schrimmer (Council Bluffs, Ia.) getting loose on the right wing in the 84th minute. She crossed over her defender and found the back of the net for her first goal as a Loper. Schrimmer scored 20 goals at Iowa Western and 16 more at Midland. In the first half, she and sophomore Anna Thorhallsdottir (Iceland) had shots bang off the cross bar.
“She is a goal scorer and, now that the weight is off her shoulders, I’m excited to see what we have going forward,” said Breton.
Keeper Susie Bovaird (Lincoln SE) saved four shots to pick up her fourth win, senior defender Dolcie Hanlon (Grand Junction, Colo.) went all 90 minutes for the first straight game with Schrimmer (five) the shot leader followed by Perez and Papillion junior Mia Lang (three apiece).
Loper soccer wins again
