By Conner Orr

However, with eight minutes remaining in the first half, Union was able to knock in a breakaway goal, which gave them a 1-0 lead.

This was not fatal for River though because just seconds later senior Sydney Stimmel found sophomore Makayla Hundt who put the ball in the back of the net. River had tied the game and their momentum did not stop. A few minutes after putting her first goal, Hundt scored again, from a pass from sophomore Olivia Alvord, making the score 2-1 River going into halftime.

“I just remember going down [1-0]... and [supporting] my teammates,” Hundt explained. “My teammates just pushed through it… they just played those good balls in and then I finished them.”

River had momentum going into the second half and it seemed that they may take the game over. However, River’s offense could not get going again, which allowed Union to have a very offensive second half.

Union dominated possession and almost scored on several occasions. They had two free kicks within two minutes of each other (one with 14 minutes left, the other with 12 minutes left), but River’s defense led by seniors Peyton Dukes and Raya Janson were able to clear the ball out and maintain River’s lead. Then for the rest of the game, River’s defense held strong and completed the second half shutout.

“Just knowing my teammates and being confident [in them]. It [comes] from the trust that we have with each other,” Janson explained on how River was able to preserve the second half shutout.