WAUKESHA, Wis. - Jensen Meyer seized the moment.
Meyer, a 5-foot-5 senior midfielder from Germantown, Wis., scored what proved to be the winning goal 
off an assist from freshman defender Haley Brown (DeKalb, Ill.) at the 18:21 mark as the Carroll University women's soccer team defeated Beloit College 4-0 in a cold, breezy nonconference game at Schneider Stadium on Thursday night.
It was the first home-field victory and third shutout of the season for Carroll, which improved to 3-5-2 overall.
All four goals came in the first half for the Pioneers, who outshot Beloit by a 15-4 margin - including an 11-3 shot-on-goal advantage.
On the game-winning momentum-shifting sequence, Brown took possession near midfield, quickly surveyed the situation and delivered a long outlet pass. 
Meyer, who was converging on the goal, took control of the ball on the right side and finished the bang-bang play by firing a hard-lining shot into the back left corner.
"Honestly, I feel like we've come a long way this season and played with a renewed energy today," said Meyer, one of five battle-tested seniors on the roster. "Being our first victory at home, it was very exciting to finish on some big goals, see everything come together and get the opportunity to ring the victory bell again. After taking a few chances early on, we just continued to work hard and finally managed to find the back of the net.
"On the goal, I just watched the play develop, reacted to the situation and tried to finish by placing it in a good spot. Once that happened, it helped to set the tone and we played with a lot of confidence the rest of the way."
Freshman forward Erika Hess (Green Bay, Wis.) followed with a goal on an assist from senior defender Kimmy Wiley (Kewaunee, Wis.) to extend the lead to 2-0 in the 25th minute for Carroll, which generated nine corner kicks.
Senior forward/midfielder Delaney Pruitt (Ringwood, Ill.) scored off an assist from freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Zanon (Waukesha, Wis.) in the 34th minute for the Pioneers.
"This victory will help to boost our confidence as we move forward and prepare for the next conference game on Saturday," said Pruitt, who earned second-team all-conference honors in the CCIW last year and scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season by blasting a 30-yard shot into the net. "Tonight's effort should also provide some reassurance that we are doing things the right way and headed in the right direction. It was a good feeling to be able to put them away in the first half and maintain the intensity the rest of the way. We showed what we are capable of doing when we play up to our potential so now we just have to work hard and keep it going. If we can compete with that same will and desire each time, good things will continue to happen."
Freshman defender Stephanie Zachemski (Itasca, Ill.) added an unassisted goal with one second remaining in the first half to round out the dominant performance.
Junior goalkeeper Christina O' Block (Libertyville, Ill.) registered three saves in playing the entire 90 minutes to preserve a shutout.
Carroll seventh-year head coach Susie Foster was proud of her young team's determined, aggressive effort and encouraged by how it continued to showcase its growth.
"Each day we talk about approaching every task with a fighter's mentality, improving and rising to the occasion," said Foster, who has guided the Pioneers to the prestigious CCIW Tournament the past two seasons and earned her 151st career victory with her team's dominant home-field victory over the former longtime Midwest Conference rival Buccaneers. "It was super exciting to see that approach continue to be used and hear the sound of the victory bell once again tonight. 
"Having played an extremely challenging schedule early on, the ladies have had the opportunity to learn a lot of great lessons and have truly embraced the experience. As that process has gradually taken place, we have been able to establish an identity and translate it into success on the field.
"If we can continue take it one game at a time, build confidence and grow, we should be able to make an impact in the weeks to come."
Foster, who reached the memorable 150-victory career milestone with a 1-0 victory over St. Norbert College on Sept. 18, was humbled by the honor.
"It's never been about me so to be able to reach that level is truly a testament to all of the great, talented players who have come through the program and all of the coaches who have contributed along the way," Foster added. "It's been a team effort the entire way so I'm very thankful to everyone who has helped to make it happen."
Beloit dropped to 3-7 overall.