Eagle women's soccer team falls to Rio

MIDWAY, Ky. - Midway struck first, but Rio Grande responded with five consecutive goals, topping the Eagles 5-2 in a River States Conference women's soccer matchup Thursday.

Just 4 minutes, 2 seconds into the game, Midway caught a fortunate break, when a leaping Jameela Shalash got her head on an Anna Kneisley corner kick, which then bounced off the head of Red Storm keeper Alba Vilades Marin, off the crossbar and into the net.

Midway held the lead for more than 16 minutes before an Amora Albano goal tied the score. The Red Storm then caught fire, scoring three times in a 2-minute, 57-second stretch.

The first two goals came off of consecutive corner kick assists from Jitske De Muijnk. De Muijnk then scored the final goal of the first half before adding a third assist in the second half.

Kneisley scored a goal of her own with just over a minute to play off a pass from Kylie Hudgins. Kneisley now has a conference-best nine assists while her 25 points are second in the RSC, trailing only the 28 of teammate Evie Clare.

The Eagles fall to 5-8-1 overall with a 1-4-1 mark in the RSC.

Needing a late-season push to make the River States Conference Tournament, Midway's next two games are against St. Mary of the Woods and Shawnee State, who both earned their first conference wins of the season Thursday.

The Eagles face SMWC in Terre Haute, Ind. at 2 p.m. Saturday.