SYRACUSE — Entering Monday night’s game in Syracuse, the Lady Warrior soccer team was confident that it could get a much needed conference win against a struggling Elkhart Memorial squad. Unfortunately for Wawasee, the visiting Lady Chargers had other plans and would prevail with a 3-0 victory.

The game looked like it would be a great one after both teams played to a scoreless first half tie but the story was in the second half with Lady Charger freshman Alexx Freshour.

Freshour was non-existent for Memorial in the first half, not generating a shot on goal or having much of an offensive presence at all.  She turned out, however, to be the saving grace for the crimson and gold as she would score all three goals to lift her team to its first Northern Lakes Conference victory of the season.

The freshman got her first goal right after halftime when she netted a six-yard shot in the game’s 41st minute; she was unassisted on the play. Freshour wasted no time getting a security goal for her team in the 43rd minute of play after Wawasee goalie Nicole Streby deflected a shot from Memorial’s Amber Hooven. Freshour then put her foot on the deflected ball and found the back of the net to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage.

The hat trick would be completed in the 59th minute when Freshour netted a nicely placed shot in the corner of the goal, just out of the reach of Streby. Freshour was again unassisted on the play.

Memorial (6-8-1, 1-6 NLC) would finish the game with seven shots on goal, four of which came from Freshour, all in the second half. Wawasee tallied eight shots on goal, but only one came in the second half.

After the game a disappointed Lady Warrior head coach John Blunk did not have much to say after talking with his team but he did make one thing very clear, this was a game Wawasee let get away from them, “This was a winnable game but we did not play to our level.”

Blunk searched for a better analysis on what went wrong and may have summed it up best with his final thought, “Tonight we just didn’t play up to our ability.”

Wawasee falls to 3-10-1 on the season and remains winless in conference play in six chances. The ladies will look to rebound when the team plays its final game of the regular season Thursday night against NorthWood at Warrior Field, with kickoff set for 5 p.m.

The IHSAA girls soccer state tournament will be drawn Tuesday morning. Wawasee is part of the five-team Warsaw Sectional, which includes the hosts, Culver Academy, NorthWood and Plymouth. The tournament begins Oct. 1 and concludes Oct. 6.