Reivers fall 2-0 to Navarro

Council Bluffs, IA – #6 Iowa Western went up against #10 Navarro and received their second straight loss of the season. The Reivers are now 0-2 on the year.

HOW IT HAPPENED: The Reivers came out aggressive, determined for redemption for the season opener. Navarro's speed and athleticism threatened in the run of play throughout the game, but the defensive line of sophomore Sofie Colvin, freshman Ashley Overberg, Abby Hall, and Kate Reddish dealt with the constant threat and were able to build out of the back. Freshman goalkeeper Mandy Clark as made key saves throughout. However, Navarro was able to start the scoring off a free kick just outside the 18 in the 9th minute. Despite the rain, setback, and unfamiliar setting, the Reivers continued to search for the equalizer. Overberg was active throughout the match, sacrificing her body to stop shots, while Hall wrangled the ball away from multiple advancing forwards. On the offensive end, freshman forward, Laura Chavez, put the goalkeeper under pressure with multiple shots from distance. Chavez nearly equalized from the corner of the 18 when she sailed a ball in, barely missing the upper-90 and ricocheting off the post and in to the goalkeeper's grateful arms.

Down 0-1, Iowa Western jogged out ready to battle until the end of the game. The Reivers increasingly controlled the ball, creating more opportunities on goal. Colvin did well to get forward on the left flank, sending a sharp crosses into the box. The Reivers kept taking great steps towards scoring, but barely missed on each finish, while the Reiver defense continued to shutdown Navarro's potent attack. Each time they looked to send in a cross, Reddish and substitute Jill Manhart shut it down. In the 83rd minute, Navarro sent in another cross, slightly tipped away by Clark, but it was not enough as it fell to Navarro's Yessy Hinojosa who finished at the back post. The Reivers had one final effort in the final minutes off their first corner kick of the match, but again just missed the back of the net.

NOTES & NUMBERS: The Reivers start the season with 0-2 for the first time in program history. Clark made 8 saves in the match in her second start.

QUOTES: Coach Marissa Ringblom

"Overall we were pleased with the response after our game on Tuesday. We felt that the backline played much better. Navarro is a very fast, physical team—maybe one of the fastest in the country, and we felt like we did a fairly good job of containing them. Although our performance was much improved, we still need to get a positive result."

UP NEXT: The Reivers stay in Texas to play #3 Tyler, this Sunday. Match updates can be found on Twitter at @ReiverWSoccer.