ROCKLIN, Calif. – The Warriors were back in action after a week off, welcoming to Rocklin a future conference foe in the Urban Knights of Academy of Art. Led by another phenomenal showing from
Kaylee Gillespie, Jessup took down their PacWest foe 3-0.
Head coach
Amsalu Fantahun offered his comments on beating a PacWest school, noting, "There is still a lot of work to do, but a win is a win. Last time we played them, we made a couple of mistakes, and we lost, but I'm happy that today we didn't concede any goals."
Jessup, who records their second shutout of the season, improve to 2-4-1 with the victory.
The win comes after a week off for the Warriors, who were on a stretch of four matches in seven days. The time off allowed the Warriors to rest and gain extra preparation after a loss, which Fantahun noted his team put importance on this week.
"Losing is tough," said Fantahun. "Sometimes you don't know where it is going to take a player's mentality. Our practice went really well. They showed up strong, and I told them this morning that if you practice, then go out and apply it in the game. And that's what they did. I didn't need to get involved too much today because of our preparation for this game."
It was the second meeting of the season between Jessup and the Urban Knights. Art U took the victory 3-2 back on August 31 on a day where Gillespie scored and recorded an assist on Jessup's two goals.
Gillespie was back at it on Tuesday, scoring her first goal of the day in the 22nd minute of the match, a strike from the top of the 18. She would add another goal to the scoresheet in the 60th minute, this time from the corner of the box that sailed over the goalkeeper and clanked down off the crossbar.
The two goals give Gillespie five on the season, moving her career total to 23. Gillespie sits four goals shy of Cara Eskenazi and Jacque Cassell for the most in program history.
"Kaylie is special," added Fantahun. "My job is to get even the best to their maximum performance. I expect that at the end of the season, you might see that. She's improving every day. She's a happy person. So I am expecting her to have a big season for us."
But it wasn't just Gillespie who did the scoring. The Warriors also got an insurance goal in the 88th minute off the foot of
Haley Norlie. The goal came after a free kick sent into the box was punched out by Art U's goalkeeper, setting up Norlie for the strike on her first touch.
The Warriors outshot the Urban Knights 12-6, with just one Art U strike registering on frame.
Jessup will take the next two days to recover before continuing their non-conference schedule against Lincoln University on Friday. Tickets for the 2 p.m. match are on sale
HERE.
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William Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on William Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).
