The Lake Forest College women's soccer team hosted and defeated Beloit College 9-0 on Wednesday to remaing unbeaten in Midwest Conference play this season. Forester scored four times in the game's first 30 minutes.
It was the second career four-goal game for Lesperance, who also had four scores at Ripon College in 2013. She started the scoring on Wednesday just six minutes and 18 seconds into the contest and added another goal just 20 seconds later with assists credited to junior midfielders Nina Perkkio and Katelyn Hronek.
The third goal of the contest was scored by senior forward Michelle Greeneway after her first touch off a corner kick caromed off a Beloit defender and back to her.
Lesperance netted the next two scores, the first at 27:10 after taking passes from Greeneway and Perkkio and the second at 28:31 with Greeneway assisting. Lesperance and Greeneway are the only two players in program history to score four goals in a game twice in their careers. Four other Foresters have accomplished the feat once and Jessica Wiehrdt is still the only player in team history with a five-goal performance, which came against Beloit in 1997.
Freshman forward Catherine Bernish closed out the first half scoring on a shot from near the end line on the left side that slipped past the Buccaneer goalkeeper. It was her second score of the season.
The Foresters out-shot the visitors 16-1 in the opening period.
Sophomore midfielder Kayla Wuest started the second half scoring at the 52:25 mark. She knocked in a corner kick from senior defender Sam Hillis for her second goal of the year.
Perkkio recorded her third assist of the day on a nice lead pass to Greeneway, who kicked it past the goalie and into the left side of the net at 53:44. It was Greeneway's team-high 22nd goal of the season and 96th of her career and Perkkio's second career three-assist game. Perkkio finished with a career-high five points after closing out the scoring with her fourth goal of the season at 61:11.
Lake Forest attempted eight shots to the Buccaneers' three in the final 45 minutes.
Forester junior goalkeeper Rachel Tenuta made a pair of saves, including one on a penalty kick, for her 12th career shutout, tying her with Kristyne Operzedek (2003-06) for third place in team history. She is now 5-2-1 with five shutouts this year.
Lake Forest improved to 10-2-2 overall and 4-0-1 in MWC play while Beloit fell to 5-6-0 and 2-3-0 in the league. The Foresters also extended their unbeaten streak in conference play to 21 games.
The Foresters will continue their league schedule with a two more home games this weekend. Lake Forest will host Monmouth College Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and Illinois College at the same time on Sunday.
