ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst University women's soccer team earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Kalamazoo on Wednesday night at Langhorst Field, handing the Hornets their first loss of the season. With the result, the Bluejays improved to 6-1-1 overall.

Elmhurst wasted no time setting the tone, breaking through in the seventh minute. Maddie Cummings delivered the game's only goal at the 7:16 mark, finishing off a setup from Kelli Coughlin to give the Bluejays an early 1-0 edge. From there, Elmhurst continued to create chances, with Ellie Muscarello, Grace Bray, and Nora Simon each testing the Kalamazoo goal throughout the night.

The Bluejays finished with 10 total shots, five of them on target. Muscarello led the attack with three attempts, while Bray added two, including one on frame. Coughlin contributed the lone assist, while Simon, Coughlin, and Muscarello each forced saves from the Hornets' keepers.

Defensively, Elmhurst was sharp from start to finish, turning away all six Kalamazoo shots. Goalkeeper Erin Fitzharris recorded three saves to earn the shutout, her third of the season, while the backline limited the Hornets to just one shot on goal in the first half and two in the second.

Kalamazoo, who entered the match 6-0-1, was held scoreless for the first time this year despite earning five second-half corner kicks. Their two goalkeepers combined for four saves but could not keep Elmhurst off the board in the opening minutes.