Karlsson Undoes Warrior Defense -- Racers Take Control of WHAC

LIMA, OH - UNOH women's soccer took sole possession of first place in the conference Wednesday afternoon with just one match left to play. The Racers were led by Mathilda Berg Karlsson who set a new program record for points in a match as her team netted eight second half goals for a 9-2 rout of Indiana Tech.

Only one of the eleven total goals came in the first half after 43 minutes of scoreless play. Risa Nishida put UNOH up first after a collision between keeper and defender left an open net and an easy finish just before halftime.

Things changed quickly after halftime as Mathilda Berg Karlsson scored her first of the day less than a minute into the frame. Vivian Purmonen made it 3-0 in the blink of an eye notching her eighth of the season just two minutes later and her third in four games. Karlsson struck again in the 54th minute and was followed by Jennny Grossen in the 67th who put the Racers up 5-0. 

The Warriors managed to take advantage of a turnover and got their first goal on the board in the 75th minute. Karlsson erased that goal with her first hat trick of the season and second of her career in the 86th minute. Another Racer turnover cost another Warrior goal making it 6-2 with four minutes to play, but UNOH kept their foot on the gas and scored three more times before the final horn sounded.

Risa Nishida hit her brace in the 87th minute and Karlsson became just the fifth player in program history to net four times in a single game with a tricky backheal just 40 seconds later. Svenja Jorg finished off the day just seconds before time ran out capping a 9-2 win over Indiana Tech. 

Karlsson's big scoring day also included some skillful distribution as she added four assists to her four goals. With twelve points on the day, Karlsson set a new single game program record topping the previous record that had stood since the program's inaugural season in 2013 (Frida Bremer/Taryn Pardoe - 11 points). Nishida assisted once to go along with her two goals for a five-point outing while Rhiannon O'Looney earned two assists in the game.

Entering the day, UNOH and Lourdes sat tied on top of the WHAC standings but the Gray Wolves dropped points in a 1-1 draw at Madonna giving the Racers control of the conference with one match to play. 

That final match will also be Senior Day this Saturday, October 25 with the Racers squaring off against Lawrence Tech for a chance to claim the outright WHAC Regular Season championship for the first time since 2019.