INDIANAPOLIS - The IU Indianapolis women's soccer team earned a key home victory as the Jaguars rolled past Oakland in Horizon League play on Saturday (Oct. 26), 3-0. Graduate transfer
Maia Ransom tallied her first two goals of the season in the opening 11 minutes and sophomore
Lindsey Castillo added first half insurance in the win.
Ashton Kudlo and
Emily Keck combined on a clean sheet, making three saves apiece.
Ransom turned the game in the opening seconds, intercepting a pass inside midfield and unloading a long distance shot that eluded Oakland (3-13-2, 2-7 HL) goalkeeper Lauren Perry for the game's first goal.
"Honestly, that first goal, I kind of like blacked out," Ransom said. "Honestly, it was so exhilarating and it's just nice to score on our field and just start the game off with a strong energy. Obviously, with the 3-0 win, it helps us get into the (Horizon League) tournament and it was just something we really needed today."
Castillo just missed making it 2-0 in the sixth minute when she angled a shot from the right side just wide of target. However, Ransom did double up the lead with her second score of the year in the 11th minute, matching her earlier effort. Similar to her earlier score, Ransom corralled a loose ball just inside midfield and rifled a shot on target, past Perry for a brace.
Castillo tacked on her first score of the season in the 17th minute, this time putting a shot just inside the post off a nice lead pass from
Emma Frey. With a quick three-goal advantage, the outcome never felt threatened as the Jaguars went deep into their bench and offered extended minutes to reserves.
Ransom, hunting an elusive hat trick, finished with a game-high seven shot attempts as the Jaguars closed with a 20-16 shot advantage. Frey finished with four shot attempts and Castillo had three from the midfield.
Kudlo made three uneventful saves in the opening 45 minutes and Keck followed with a clean 45 minutes off the bench. The victory over Oakland was a rarity for the Jaguars as IU Indy improved to just 5-20-1 all-time against the Golden Grizzlies.
The Jaguars will close out the regular season on Wednesday (Oct. 30) when they trek to Fort Wayne to face Purdue Fort Wayne at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+.