PIKEVILLE, Ky. - CIU women's soccer took a road trip on Wednesday to visit the newest face in the Appalachian Athletic Conference, the University of Pikeville. The Rams are coming off a big win over Bryan (Tenn.) over the weekend and have recorded three consecutive conference blanks. CIU extended this to four in a row with a 4-0 win over Pikeville to improve their record to 7-3-1 (6-2-1 AAC). 

Match Summary: CIU maintained control of the ball for most of the first half, but the first ten minutes were quiet on both sides. Marisa Dill broke the silence to get the Rams on the board (12:34) off an assist from Lily Jackson. Pikeville's first attack came ten minutes later, but they could not capitalize on the corner kick and header shot, thanks to a diving block from CIU keeper Hailey Resetar. 
The Rams' scoring opportunities continued as Amber McKinley made an attempt from the backline as her shot sailed high. Dill continued to attack the net, but the Bears' goalie collected in her try. However, Pikeville could not hold the Rams for much longer as Avery Long found the back of the net to extend the Rams' lead 2-0 (37:02). 
Before the intermission, Lily Vengelis tried to capitalize on Haley Hernandez's corner kick, but her header sent the ball wide. Vengelis took another shot before the end of the first frame, but the score remained 2-0. 
The Rams remained aggressive going into the second half, with Mercy Berkemeyer, Dill, and Thais Roberto quickly taking shots. Dill scored her second goal of the game (53:41) to increase CIU's lead advantage. 
Later, Vengelis got the ball past the hands of the Pikeville keeper off a Jackson corner kick to give the Rams a 4-0 edge (64:58).
Ellie Berkemeyer made an attempt at the goal, but the keeper was able to gather in this shot. Pikeville kept fighting with two wide shots and a shot on goal that Brooke Monfils hauled in to keep the Bears off the board. 
Pikeville's backline blocked Berkemeyer's final scoring attempt on Haley Hernandez's corner to keep the score at 4-0, but they weren't able to take advantage of two corner kicks of their own. Monfils picked up another save with 15 seconds left in the game to secure CIU's 4-0 win over the Bears. 

What Coach Kara Lail is saying: "Pikeville played a good game and disrupted a lot of the game we like to play. Traveling so far and playing in a new place is always tough, but we are proud of how the girls battled and found the back of the net." 

Up Next: CIU welcomes Tennessee Wesleyan University to Sessions Field on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 1:30 p.m.EST.