FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
August 23, 2025 
Westfield, Indiana 

Golden Eagles Open Season with Thrilling 3-2 Victory Over #13 Ranked Ann Arundel 

The Rock Valley College Women's Soccer team kicked off the 2025 season in dramatic fashion, earning a 3-2 victory over nationally ranked NJCAA DII #13 Anne Arundel Community College (MD) at the NJCAA Midwest Classic in Westfield, Indiana. 

The matchup marked a rematch of last year's NJCAA National Tournament battle, where the Golden Eagles fell 3-4. This time, RVC flipped the script with an inspired team performance. 

Rock Valley wasted no time making an impact, striking inside the first three minutes. Sophomore Keyla Suarez rounded the goalkeeper and found Araceli Mendez, who buried the opener to give RVC the early lead. Freshman Emilia Arias then extended the advantage, drawing contact in the box before calmly converting the penalty for her first collegiate goal to make it 2-0. 

Anne Arundel battled back, pulling one goal back in the 32nd minute through Alaina Minefski, then leveling the match in the 78th minute off a corner kick. 

The Golden Eagles responded with urgency, pushing forward in search of the winner. The decisive moment came when defender Alanah Reyes connected with freshman Crystal Garcia, who sliced through two defenders before delivering a precise cutback to Kassandra Jimenez, who slotted home the game-winning strike. 

Head Coach [Name] praised the team's resilience in the season opener. 

"I'm proud of how we responded after drawing level," said Coach Watkins. "We showed composure, upped our urgency, created quality chances, and found a way to finish the game strong." 

The Golden Eagles improve to 1-0 on the season and will face another nationally ranked opponent, #16 Northeast Community College, on Sunday, August 24 at 1:00 PM (ET) in the second match of the 2025 Midwest Classic.