COLUMBIA, S.C. — CIU women's soccer head coach Kara Lail reached a historic milestone Wednesday night, earning her 100th career victory as the Rams shut out Reinhardt University 2-0 in Appalachian Athletic Conference action at Sessions Field.
Lail, the only head coach in CIU women's soccer history, has guided the program since its inception and is the longest-tenured head coach in CIU Athletics history.
The Rams gave Lail her milestone victory while handing Reinhardt its first AAC loss of the season. The Eagles entered Wednesday's contest unbeaten in conference play at 3-0-1, but CIU scored once in each half and kept Reinhardt off the scoreboard.
"I'm really proud of this group," Lail said. "They've continued to work hard through a lot of adversity with schedule changes, cancellations and the disruptions we've faced. We're a young team that brought in a lot of new players who are being asked to make a big impact, and we're seeing that hard work and investment in each other continue to grow. Tonight was a great example of what this group is capable of, and I'm really proud of the way they stayed together and competed."
CIU struck first in the 27th minute. Lohrane Boaventura helped create the opportunity, finding Lily Jackson, who finished for the opening goal to give the Rams a 1-0 advantage. The goal was Jackson's only shot of the night, while Boaventura continued to create problems for the Reinhardt defense with a team-high three shots.
The Rams carried the one-goal advantage into halftime and protected it throughout much of the second half. Goalkeeper Hailey Resetar came up with her second save of the night in the 67th minute, denying one of Reinhardt's best opportunities to equalize.
Boaventura then put the match away in the 86th minute. Lucy Jackson provided the assist, and Boaventura found the back of the net to extend CIU's advantage to 2-0. The goal capped a three-point night for Boaventura, who finished with a goal and an assist.
Resetar played all 90 minutes in goal and recorded two saves to secure the clean sheet. CIU outshot Reinhardt 7-4 and held the Eagles to just two shots on goal as the Rams secured the conference victory.
CIU returns to action Saturday, Oct. 3, traveling to Dayton, Tenn., to face Bryan College. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
