Sophomore forward Rylie Wehner nodded in her second goal in as many games in what proved to be the deciding goal as Wildcats beat the Cougars in a hot and humid Friday afternoon, the opposite of the conditions the last time these two teams met in 2017.
            Shortly after the whistle blew to start the game, it stopped again as Sioux Falls keeper Brayden Paul put her body on the line to defend a ball in the box and got the worst of a nasty collision. Given clearance to continue, Wayne State and Sioux Falls spent the first 20 minutes fighting for control in midfield. After a Cougar foul, senior Natalie Rech pinged a free kick into the box that fell to the head of Wehner, who popped it over an oncoming Paul to put the Wildcats on the board.
The Cats forced two saves out of the keeper the rest of the half and kept their lead going into intermission. Wayne State outshot Sioux Falls 6-3 in the first half despite a staggering 8-1 advantage for the Cougars in corner kicks.
            Wayne State looked refreshed out of the half-time whistle, recording four shots in the first 10 minutes of the second half, including a Brooke Buzzell header that Sioux Falls' Paul pushed onto the post to keep the Wildcats off the board again.
            The Wildcats broke through, however, late in the second half as a through ball from senior Christina Stasi slid through the backline of the Cougars defense perfectly to the feet of freshman Madison Kemp. Kemp kept her composure and poked it under the keeper to double the advantage and effectively seal the game.
            Wayne State outshot Sioux Falls in the contest by a 15-9 margin, including a 10-2 difference in shots on goal. Alyssa Bagley earned her first clean sheet in the net for the Wildcats, finishing with two saves. Paul finished her afternoon with eight saves for the Cougars.
            "I thought both teams battled hard in these conditions," said Wildcat Head Coach Joe Cleary. "Loved our team's effort and attitude both in the fow of the game and on set pieces. Definitely nice to score two goals and get a shutout."
        The Wildcats will be at home again Sunday afternoon hosting Southwest Minnesota State in a 1 p.m. contest at the WSC Soccer Pitch.