KOKOMO, Ind. - On Senior Night at Kokomo Municipal Stadium, three IU Kokomo goals in the opening 30 minutes proved to be enough for IU Kokomo to outlast IU Columbus 3-2. 

With the victory, the Cougars improve to 6-8-3 overall and 3-3-2 in River States Conference action with one match to play.

It did not take long for IU Kokomo senior Kelsi Hoot to find the back of the net Thursday, as Jaidin Millsaps found Hoot in the box for a tap-in to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead.

An IU Columbus yellow card gave IU Kokomo a free kick from just outside the box, and after a brief discussion between Hoot and teammate Charity Lewis, Hoot took the kick and went upper-ninety to extend the IUK lead to two 25 minutes in.

Senior Bryn Roberts notched her first point of the season on the night as well, as she earned the helper on Addison Waller's goal in the 30th minute. Waller's second of the year made it a 3-0 lead with 15 minutes to play in the opening half.

The Crimson Pride refused to go away quietly however, scoring a goal on a breakaway in the 37th minute to make it a two-goal deficit before a goal in the final seconds of the first half made it a one-goal game.

After a first half that featured five goals, the second half saw none, as neither goalkeeper was necessarily forced to make a difficult save. Despite seeing what was once a three-goal lead dwindle to a one-goal lead, IU Kokomo held on to earn a much needed victory.

The Cougars final match of the regular season is set for Saturday in Portsmouth, Ohio, where they will battle the Shawnee State Bears at 4:30 PM.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.