WAUKESHA, Wis. - Delaney Pruitt's relentless effort took center stage.
Pruitt, a 5-foot-2 sophomore forward/midfielder from Ringwood, Ill., scored two goals as the Carroll University women's soccer team defeated Dominican University 2-0 in a nonconference game at Schneider Stadium on Wednesday.
It was the second shutout of the season and third consecutive home-field victory for Carroll, which improved to 3-2 overall.
Pruitt scored what proved to be the winning goal on an assist from junior forward/midfielder Sabrina Georgeff (Naperville, Ill.) in the 15th minute.
On the winning play at the 15:46 mark, Pruitt took possession of a crossing pass on the right side, abruptly made a nifty spin move and blasted a hard-lining, 20-yard shot into the right corner.
"It was very exciting to finally come away with a few goals because I've been injured and attempting to get back in the swing of things, " said Pruitt, who earned first-team honors in the Midwest Conference last season. "On my first goal, I really just reacted to where the ball was on the field, made a quick adjustment and let my instincts take over. That's when everything came together.
"Coming into the game still undefeated at home, we really wanted to keep it going so that provided all of the motivation we needed to play well. Throughout the night, we did a nice job of connecting balls, executing the give-and-go sitautions and putting together a lot of good, energized possessions. It really played a part in our success and gave us a chance to get back on the winning track."
Pruitt's second goal of the game came off an assist from senior forward Casey Weyhrich (Arlington Heights, Ill.) in the 79th minute for the Pioneers, who outshot Dominican 7-6.
Sophomore goalkeeper Sabrina Sieger (Waukesha, Wis.) was a stabilizing force throughout the evening, contributing four saves to preserve a shutout.
Carroll head coach Susie Foster was pleased with the way her team showcased its mental toughness, shook off the memory of difficult, back-to-back road losses and seized the opportunity to play at home.
"We take a lot of pride in performing well at home so it was great to be able to rise to the occasion and defend our field," said Foster, whose team has combined to outscore its five nonconference opponents by a 7-2 margin this season. "Coming off of a purposeful trip to Texas in which we played two very difficult games against some fantastic competition, it really served as an important learning experience and showed what we needed to work on in order to take our game to the next level.
"Tonight, we responded to the adversity created from two tough losses by stepping on the field, earning a valuable victory and moving forward. At this point, we're still playing a lot of different people so it was nice to see the steady growth and progression continue."
Freshman forward Josseline Williams generated two shots on goal for Dominican, which dropped to 2-2 overall.