DANBURY, Conn. (October 29, 2019)  – Senior Julia Panko recorded her 100th career point with a first-half goal to lead No. 18/18 Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer over Western Connecticut State University Tuesday evening in a non-conference fixture at the Westside Athletic Complex.

Sophomore Taylor Whitlock netted her first goal of the season in the 53rd minute for the Ducks, who won their 10th straight match to improve to 12-3-1. 

Goalkeeper Karly Martin made seven saves for the Colonials, who saw their 11-match winning streak come to an end. WestConn fell to 13-5-1. The Ducks are 7-3-3 against WestConn since 2003 and have won each of the last three meetings between the programs.

The Ducks received a penalty shot in the 21st minute, courtesy of a hand ball committed by a WestConn defender in the box. Panko converted the ensuing penalty kick for her team-leading 10th goal of the year. The marker pushed the Millstone Township, New Jersey native's career point total to 100, joining alumnae Valerie Barnhart, Raba Nassif and Zisi Komar as the only Ducks to reach the milestone. Panko has converted seven consecutive non-shootout penalty kicks.

Whitlock provided some breathing room in the 53rd minute. The Yardley, Pennsylvania native tucked a try from the 18-yard box neatly under the crossbar for her first collegiate point.

Sophomore Izzy DiDario made one save to record her fourth clean sheet of the season. The Scotch Plains, New Jersey native continues to lead the MAC Freedom with a 0.458 goals-against average, which would rank as the third-lowest single-season GAA in program history if the season ended today.

The fixture rounded out Stevens' non-conference slate.

Turning Point

• Western Connecticut had a chance to spoil DiDario's clean sheet bid, but the Colonials' Osheonna Israel's try in the 84th minute rang off the left post.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens outshot WestConn 20-5, including a 9-1 edge in shots on net. The Colonials' five shots matched the second-lowest by a Stevens opponent this season.
• The Ducks have held each of their last six opponents to seven shots or fewer.
• Stevens earned a season-high 10 corners. WestConn earned just two, which matched a season-low.
• The Ducks committed a season-low two fouls.

Unsung Hero

• Stevens' play in both the midfield and defensive third kept WestConn's offense off-track throughout the evening. The Colonials had averaged 3.45 goals per match during their 11-match winning streak. Six of Stevens' 10  victories during the team's current winning streak have come via clean sheets.

From the Sidelines (Head Coach Jeff Parker)

• "Very solid all-around performance from our group tonight. Never an easy place to play and we have a tremendous amount of respect for the WestConn program. [The] team felt like it was one of our more complete 90-minute performances and I would agree. Our group combined for an important three points on the road, a shutout, and most importantly, a shared team performance displaying each of our core values."

Up Next

• No. 18/18 Women's Soccer concludes the regular season with a fixture with Eastern University Saturday at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.
• The Ducks have won each of the last five meetings between the programs, although the teams have not met since the 2014 season.
• Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.

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