SOCCER: Aug. 28 Scoreboard
Abilene Christian 5, UTSA 3
Houston Baptist 3, Texas-El Paso 2 (OT)
Central Arkansas 3, Arkansas State 2 (2OT)
McNeese State 1, Texas State 0
Lamar 5, Texas Southern 0
Nicholls 1, Southern Miss 1 (2OT)
Minnesota 1, Stephen F. Austin 0
Florida Atlantic 2, Sam Houston State 0
North Texas 2, UIW 1
Rice 2, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0
Florida State 3, Southeastern Louisiana 0
Abilene Christian 5, UTSA 3
AUSTIN, Texas - Abilene Christian's offense, which twice was blanked last weekend, erupted for four second-half goals Friday en route to a thrilling 5-3 decision over UT San Antonio on the pitch at Texas' Mike A. Myers Stadium.
Playing on the same field this weekend as the nationally ranked North Carolina Tar Heels and Ohio State Buckeyes, the Wildcats (1-2) displayed both expertise and confidence throughout the 90-minute battle. First they tied the score at 1-1 halfway through the seventh minute and later put the game away with consecutive unassisted strikes after the Roadrunners rallied to tie the game at 3-3.
"We got to see what we're capable of on offense tonight, which was exciting to watch and it's definitley something we can keep building upon," said head coach Casey Wilson. "It was good to gain confidence in this area, although there is still plenty for us to improve on as we get ready to play UC Irvine Sunday."
ACU's five goals were its most since a September 2014 match vs. UT Pan American and the combined eight goals were the most tallied in a Wildcats' match since a 5-4 overtime loss to Eastern New Mexico way back in 2007.
Junior Natalie Throneberry scored the Wildcats' first goal of 2015 from inside the six off an assist from freshman Sophie Standifer less than five minutes after UTSA grabbed the initial lead when Sam Batley tapped in a Melissa Finley miss.
The score remained knotted at halftime as each side fired only six shots and attempted one corner during the first 45 minutes.
Coming out of the break Standifer put the Wildcats ahead with a 14-yard strike and less than six minutes later Lindsey Jones angled in a pass from midfielder Maria Gomez.
Standifer led all players with three points.
The Roadrunners were quick to counter. Lauren Hodgon assisted on a Savannah Struck goal from 10-yards back on the left corner at the start of the 62nd minute and two minutes later the match was tied at 3-3 after Olivia Nicholls redirected a shot off the foot of Cailey Elder.
UTSA's celebration promptly vanished, however, when on the Wildcats' follow-up possession, Kate Seay beat backup goalkeeper Isabella Sanchez from inside the goalmouth for the game-winner. Sophomore Megan Baer then provided an insurance goal at the start of the 71st minute, burying her shot from 20-yards away right in the middle of the net.
Katherine Tesno started for UTSA (0-2) in goal and allowed three of the goals in 61 minutes. She made two saves, while ACU's netminder Kelsey Dombrowski had five in the complete-game victory.
ACU's next match takes place Sunday morning at 10 a.m. in College Station vs. the Anteaters of UC Irvine.
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Houston Baptist 3, Texas-El Paso 2 (OT)
HOUSTON, Texas –Behind freshman Sabriah Spencer’s two goals and sophomore Ellee Hall’s career-high three assists, HBU women’s soccer defeated visiting UTEP, 3-2 in overtime, Friday afternoon for the first time in program history.
“I felt like the first half was one of the best halves of soccer we’ve played,” said HBU head coach Misty Jones. “The great thing was we did everything that we worked on in practice, so that was really great to see.”
Spencer scored her first-collegiate goal in the first half, then netted the game winner in the extra session to lead all players with four points. Hall registered three points on a trio of helpers, all coming off of corner kicks. Senior Rebekah Tovar had the other Huskies’ goal. Sophomore Katie Turner made four saves for the win.
Angela Cutaia had a three-point day with a goal and an assist to lead UTEP (1-2-0), while Kennadie Chaudhary came off the bench to score the Miners’ second goal. Alyssa Palacios made three saves in goal.
It took just 2:50 for UTEP to get the upper hand, as Cutaia scored her second goal of the season, assisted by Jeanna Mullen. The Huskies answered with two straight tallies to take a 2-1 lead. On an HBU corner, Hall took the in-bounds and Spencer headed the ball in to knot the game at one-all in the 21st minute. Nine minutes later, Tovar beat Palacios far side off another Huskies’ corner.
The Miners evened the match just over two minutes left in the opening half, as Chaudhary fired a shot at the top of the box that beat Turner.
HBU outshot the Miners, 9-5, in the first half and held a commanding 9-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Neither team could get the upper hand in the second half. Jennifer Gebhardt made a spectacular defensive play in the 76th minute as, with Turner out of position and Alexis Roberts gearing up to take a long shot towards an open net, Gebhardt slid and blocked the shot out of harm’s way.
In the 91st minute, on the Huskies’ 10th corner kick, Hall sent the ball in, Spencer’s initial header attempt was blocked, but the ball went right back to Spencer, who fired a shot past Palacios as pandemonium ensued.
HBU, 2-0-0 for the first time since the 2006 season, begins a six-match road trip next Friday at UC Riverside at 9 p.m.
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Central Arkansas 3, Arkansas State 2 (2OT)
Orem
, Utah – The Central Arkansas women's soccer team returned to action on Sunday afternoon, taking on the Utah Valley Wolverines in Orem, Utah. The Wolverines netted a pair of goals in the first half, and the Bears were unable to find the net, falling 2-0.
Utah Valley (1-1) grabbed an early lead, as Sarah Cipperley found Jaime Brown, who arced a shot over the head of Central Arkansas (0-2) keeper Anna Hughes for her first goal of the season.
The Bears got a good look just a minute and a half later, as freshman Camille Bassett found herself in open space, but her shot went just wide of the post.
The Wolverines added to their lead in the 19th minute, when a free kick from Libby Weber found Sheridan Fox, who headed it home to put UVU up 2-0.
Central Arkansas again got the chance for a quick reply, when junior Kate Koch fired wide in the 20th minute. Sophomore Stacia Carroll saw another opportunity for the Bears in the 40th minute, but her attempt went high, sending Central Arkansas into the break down 2-0.
The second half saw more chances for the Bears, as freshman Ashley Smith and Carroll both put shots on target, but neither was able to beat UVU keeper Jessica Duffin.
"We came out and had a slow start, which comes down to preparation and discipline. We gave up a couple of early goals; one we were in a position to save and the other we just got beat going up on the set piece," said Central Arkansas coach Jeremy Bishop following the match. "In the second half we played a lot better and had some good scoring chances, but we just couldn't finish."
Bishop continued, saying, "I feel like both games this weekend were very even, if you look at shots and possession. But our opponents were able to finish and we weren't. That's why we play these games though, to get better and get some things figured out."
On the day, the Bears were outshot 12-10, and managed to put three shots on goal. In goal for the Bears, Hughes made three saves.
Central Arkansas opens the home portion of its schedule on Friday, hosting in-state opponent Arkansas State at the Bill Stephens Soccer Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM. "We're excited to get home in front of our fans," said Bishop. "This has been a very competitive game over the past three season, and last year was the first time we were able to beat them. We're looking forward to having a good group of fans."
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McNeese State 1, Texas State 0
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Defense was the name of the game for the McNeese State soccer team in Friday night’s contest against an old rival in Texas State as the Cowgirls were able to win the battle and secure their third consecutive victory to open the season.
The history that these two teams have between each other created nothing less than the expectation of an annual duel with both squads having fought with all of their energy to outscore the other, only this time it was for the right to help their respective teams stay undefeated.
“This was a great team win for our program,” said head coach Scooter Savoie. “What made this such a great victory was team play and effort given. I thought we had a really good contest from the front to the back. Everyone played their roles and did a great job creating the pressure needed.”
McNeese used talent on and off the bench to create a defensive struggle that prevented its opposition from gaining an offensive advantage while the play from senior goalkeeper Lauren Sestak helped the Cowgirls secure its second shutout. Sestak deflected six shots on the evening, some of which were by the length of her fingertips. The will and determination were what kept McNeese from tiring but instead grow stronger on the pitch.
“Tonight was a great team win,” said team captain Sarah Bricker. “It felt really good that we fought for the full 90 minutes. I thought we were able to shut down their offense and did a good job winning the air game.”
Much of the first half was a defensive struggle as both teams looked for a play style that would outsmart the other squad. The Cowgirls launched a few early shots but were threatened by the play of the Texas State keeper who tallied two saves. Just like the last two matches, McNeese continued to find its style and did not back down as it searched for a way to score.
The ice was broken during the 24th minute of play when Bricker received a pass from sophomore Sierra Sisco following a corner kick that found a group of Cowgirls bunched up. However, Bricker found her way through the crowd and slipped her shot past the goalie for her first goal of the season and the 1-0 McNeese lead. Sisco was credited with the assist.
“It was awesome to get the game-winner for the team,” said Bricker, who scored her first goal of the season. “Nola (Prickett) was able to win the header and (Sierra) Sisco set me up perfectly to just place the ball. It is always fun to do some scoring especially when you mostly play defense.”
“We talk everyday about our restarts and how everyone on the field has a role to play,” said Savoie. “We did a good job of balancing and shaping the box so that the ball found Sierra (Sisco) and in turn she found (Sarah) Bricker. That goal was what we needed to win. It was just a great team effort and an awesome start to the season.
The Cowgirls controlled the remainder of the first half of play as well as the second stretch in which they continued to pour out pressure that gave the experienced Bobcat squad troubles and could not find a solution for.
The Bobcats attempted wild shots from near midfield multiple times while having just a few good attempts taken away by the exceptional play of senior goalkeeper Lauren Sestak. The Spring, Texas native deflected five shots during the first 45 minutes and was impressive on a shot from nearly 40 yards out that was punched over the top of the net. She followed with two more saves in the second half.
Texas State led both squads in shots taken with a 16-6 advantage but were unable to control their style of play having committed 15 fouls and received two yellow cards.
Sophomore Gabi D’Alesandro led the team in shots taken with two while four more players were able to record a shot in the match.
Sisco’s assist on the scoring play was her second of the season.
The Cowgirls will complete their weekend road trip when they travel to take on undefeated Tulsa Sunday afternoon in a match slated for a 2 p.m. start.
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Lamar 5, Texas Southern 0
BEAUMONT, Texas – Jordan Mulnix wasn’t just satisfied with her scoring her first career goal Friday night. By the time the Lamar University women’s soccer team wrapped up its 5-0 non-conference victory over visiting Texas Southern, the freshman found her name etched in the LU record book.
Mulnix tied an LU record with three goals as the Cardinals (1-2-0) got into the win column for the first time this season.
“I didn’t even know I had tied the record,” Mulnix said. “I’m more excited we got our first win of the season.”
Mulnix became the third player in program history, joining Lisa Hance and Kimmy Albeno as the only Cardinals to record a hat trick in a game.
“I talked to Jordan before the game and told her she had to stop being so timid,” LU coach Orlando Cervantes said. “She’s got a great finishing touch and she showed that tonight. Hopefully, this shows her that she can play at this level.”
Mari Olastuen had a goal and an assist for LU, while Morgan Burden also scored for the Cardinals, who broke through on offense after being shut out in their first two games of the season.
“We worked at building up their confidence all week in practice,” Cervantes said. “We know we have the talent to score goals, it’s just a matter of getting the players to believe it.”
The Cardinals scored three goals in a span of 7:35 midway through the first half to take control of the game. Burden opened the scoring at the 22:16 mark on an unassisted tally. Mulnix made it 2-0 a little less than six minutes later when she took a pass from Jannet Hernandez and beat a Texas Southern defender before depositing the ball into the back of the net.
Olastuen made a nice rush down the right side of the field to score an unassisted goal less than two minutes later to make it 3-0 heading into intermission.
Any chance of a Texas Southern comeback were quickly erased after the break as Mulnix scored just 18 seconds into the second half to make it 4-0.
“I told the team that the game wasn’t over at halftime,” Cervantes said. “I wanted them to be aggressive from the start of the half, and that’s wat they did.”
Mulnix closed out the scoring with 19:04 remaining in the second half as she took a pass from Marie Lund and buried it into the twine.
That was more than enough support for goalkeeper Lauren Lovejoy, who picked up her first career win. Lovejoy made five saves over the first 79:37 before giving way to Lauren Bond, who made one save over the final 10:23 in her collegiate debut.
“It was nice to have that cushion,” Lovejoy said. “It felt so good to get that first win. I think this team really grew this week.”
Liliana Hernandez started in goal and took the loss for Texas Southern (1-2-0). Hernandez allowed three goals and made four saves in the first half. Alexis Robles played the second half for the Lady Tigers, allowing two goals and making two saves.
The Cardinals return home to host LSU-Alexandria at 5 p.m. Sunday to wrap up the brief two-game homestand.
“One win does not make a season, just like two losses doesn’t make a season,” Cervantes said. “We have to come out Sunday and play just as hard as we did today.”
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Nicholls 1, Southern Miss 1 (2OT)
THIBODAUX, La.
– At the 24-minute mark, forward Spencer Valdespino ran down the sideline after scoring her second goal, high-fiving a few of the hundreds of fans who turned out for the Nicholls State University women’s soccer team’s Red Out home opener on Friday. Holding a 2-0 lead, the Colonels appeared to be well on their way to a victory over Southern Miss, but the Golden Eagles stormed back in the second period, sending the game into double-overtime, where the game eventually ended in a 2-2 tie.
Nicholls came out aggressive, outshooting Southern Miss 6-2 in the opening frame. Jess Coates was the catalyst for the Colonel offense, assisting on both of Valdespino’s goals.
The first score came at the 20-minute mark as Valdespino received the ball and fired a shot over the outstretched arm of diving Golden Eagle goalkeeper Brittany Taylor. On her second goal, Valdespino took a pass from Coates and immediately made a crossover move. Taylor fell for Valdespino’s fake shot attempt, diving to the ground as Valdespino slowly rolled the ball into a vacant net.
Both teams went scoreless for the remainder of the half.
In the second period, Southern Miss cut the lead in half with a goal in the 51
st minute. Only six minutes later, a line drive shot from Asia Ribbens sailed from nearly forty yards out into the top corner of the net for the equalizer.
The Colonels and Golden Eagles managed just three combined shots over the duration of both overtime periods and the game ended in a draw.
Valdespino finished with seven shots, five on goal. Her second score pushed her into a tie for the school record in career goals, with 33. Hannah Savoie and Haylee Atwell finished with three and two shots respectively.
Mary Kate Smith paced Southern Miss offensively with two shots and a goal.
In the net, making her first start of the season, Haley Golden recorded five saves and allowed two goals.
Taylor finished with four saves and surrendered two goals for the Golden Eagles.
Nicholls will host Southern on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 1 p.m., before traveling to Starkville for a matchup with Mississippi State.
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Minnesota 1, Stephen F. Austin 0
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Stephen F. Austin women’s soccer team played Minnesota tough for 90 minutes in the first game of the “Battle on the Bayou” on Friday evening, but the Golden Gophers were able to come away with the 1-0 victory at LSU Soccer Stadium.
“When you don’t get the result that you want it’s going to sting and you’re going to be disappointed,” said head coach Wally Crittenden. “But what we are excited about is the competitive mentality that we saw from our players and the way that we came out and attempted to execute in our defensive schemes and our attacking ideas. I think the things we did really well tonight were a direct result to the improvements we made this past week in training.”
Redshirt sophomore Lillie Ehlert had a career night for the Ladyjacks in her first full game of the season at goalkeeper. She tied a career high with five saves – four of which came in the second half. Ehlert gobbled up numerous loose balls on the evening and was effective coming off her line to clear hazardous crosses from the Minnesota wingers. She helped slow down a potent Gopher attack and kept SFA right in the thick of things for 90 minutes.
The lone goal of the night came off a corner kick in the 64th minute. Minnesota’s Ashley Pafko drove a ball to Tori Burnett who was able to head it in from six yards out.
The Ladyjacks (0-2-0) dictated the run of play out of the gate, playing a physical brand of soccer and creating dangerous opportunities in the opening stages of the game. Senior defender Chantal Curry recorded the first shot of the game from the left corner of the penalty area for SFA’s first real threat. Junior midfielder Hailey Hunt fired another shot on frame from 12 yards out just moments later, requiring a diving save by the Gopher keeper.
In the 22nd minute, the Ladyjacks created their best scoring chance after getting numbers in the box on a cross. Kelly Ann Craig was the first to get a foot on the ball in the scramble, putting an attempt on frame. The rebound came out to freshman forward Breanna Moore, who powered a header just wide of the left post.
Halfway through the first half, SFA led Minnesota 4-2 in shots and 3-0 in shots on goal.
In the closing seconds of the first period, Craig once again presented a wonderful chance for SFA. The right back found space in the right side of the box and slotted a ball in the middle. The Ladyjacks had numbers but couldn’t get on the end of Craig’s cross before the Gophers cleared it away.
The score remained 0-0 into the halftime break.
Minnesota (2-0-1) established a better attack in the final 45 minutes, recording 12 shots and taking seven corner kicks in the second half alone. Craig saved two goals from her near post position on two of those Gopher corner kicks.
SFA’s best opportunity to draw even after the Gopher goal in the 64th minute came from a flick by Amanda Doyle late in the contest. The junior midfielder’s shot skimmed just wide of goal. Senior midfielder Rachel Owens accounted for the Ladyjacks’ other shot in the period.
“We created some fantastic chances tonight,” Crittenden said. “I thought we limited their chances to two primary areas – shots beyond 25 yards and corners. All in all, it was a significant improvement from what we saw in Fayetteville a week ago. We’ll now gear up for Western Kentucky on Sunday. It’ll be a tough test in which we will have to play with same intensity that we showed tonight.”
The Ladyjacks and Lady Toppers will play on Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. Follow @SFA_Soccer on Twitter for live updates.
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Florida Atlantic 2, Sam Houston State 0
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Sam Houston State soccer matched Florida Atlantic shot-for-shot, each taking 12, however, the Owls capitalized on second half opportunities to hand the Bearkats their first loss on the season by a final of 2-0 from Texas A&M’s Ellis Field in College Station on Friday afternoon.
The Bearkats (2-1) return on Sunday at 4 p.m., taking on Rice (1-1) from Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium as part of a doubleheader with the National Women’s Soccer League’s Houston Dash, who play the Boston Breakers at 7 o’clock. Tickets are normally $25 but are available for $10 and $5 for Bearkat students on GoBearkats.com before Saturday at 2 p.m.
“I thought we had some stretches of the game where we played very well and kept possession of the ball,” eighth-year head coach Tom Brown said. “We made a couple mistakes and got punished for them. When you play against really good teams, you can’t afford to make those errors.”
The squads remained deadlocked until the 53rd minute when the Owls’ (3-0) Geovana Alves broke away, beating Sam Houston goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton in a one-on-one matchup, netting a shot from 15 yards out. FAU’s Mimi Godoy added the assist.
In the 61st minute, the Owls added the final dagger when a Sam Houston foul created a free kick. With the ball placed 25 yards left of the penalty box, FAU’s Mary Hasler was able to capitalize, slipping a shot inside the far post.
Sam Houston junior Madison Cannon posted a match-leading four shots, including three on goal, while sophomore Caitlin Schwartz, who scored the game-winner in the opener against Louisiana-Lafayette last weekend, added a pair of shots, but nothing passed up keeper Sydney Drinkwater.
The loss was only the Kats second over their last 10 games dating to last season’s 2-0 victory at Lamar on Oct. 10. It was also Sam Houston’s first regular-season loss in nine matches with the last coming against Stephen F. Austin on Oct. 5 last year.
“We got to look at a lot of players today and that will help us as we move forward in the season,” said Brown.
For the latest on Sam Houston soccer, follow @SHSUSoccer on Twitter and visit GoBearkats.com.
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North Texas 2, UIW 1
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word women's soccer team hosted the Mean Green from the University of North Texas in Benson Stadium on Friday night. The Cardinals (2-1) dropped a 2-0 decision to the visitors.
Each team entered the match without giving up a goal in their first two games. In the first half the Mean Green (3-0) had several opportunities on the Cardinals goalkeeper Karly Brightwell (Houston/Elkins HS). She closed the half with four saves and several crucial stops. UNT attacked the goal with ten shots and five corner kicks, but the UIW defense stood strong.
The tide turned quickly in the second half, the Mean Green broke the UIW defense when Karla Pineda sent a crisp through ball to Taylor Torres who was 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper. She finished it low and to the left of Heather Kowalik (Boerne/Champion HS) in the 46th minute. The Cardinals tried to respond right away, but were turned away.
In the 53rd minute, the Mean Green secured the game when the Cardinals gave up another corner kick, one of 10 throughout the game. Pineda sent the ball into the box and found Marchelle Davis who jumped above a UIW defender and found the back of the net off a header. Davis led both teams with six shots, followed by UNT teammate Anna Flobeck and UIW's Nikki Popa (San Antonio/Reagan HS).
"North Texas is a very good side," said UIW head coach Anne Felts. "We have been looking forward to seeing how we matched up and we came out of this game with a lot of positives. We are playing very good soccer right now and we will continue to get better and better. We knew this was going to be a game where we needed to take care of the details to get a result and that's what we saw. It's a tough loss, but we got better tonight."
Karey Tylman (San Antonio/Alamo Heights HS) provided a little spark off the bench for the Cardinals by creating a pair of shots on goal that required saves from Jackie Kerestine. Kowalik and Brightwell each had four saves for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals will be playing their second game of the weekend against Prairie View A&M on Sunday at noon at Benson Stadium.
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Rice 2, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Lauren Hughes scored the game-winning goal and added an assist to lift Rice to a 2-0 win over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's soccer team on Friday night at Dugan Stadium. Megan Delaney made 12 saves in a losing effort for the Islanders.
Danielle Spriggs potted the other goal for the Owls late in the second half, as Rice held off a strong charge for the Islanders late in the first half and early in the second.
Both teams had strong chances in the early going, but Delaney denied a strong Owls opportunity in the fourth minute and the Islanders were unable to cash in on a nice ball in the box by Yvette Franco in the seventh minute. The game remained scoreless into the 24th, when Delaney denied a lovely strike by Hughes to keep it at 0-0.
But Hughes cashed in on a set piece in the 30th. The senior strode to the ball from 24 yards out on the left side and sent a laser inside the near post to make it a 1-0 score in favor of the Owls at 29:34.
Rice remained in control for much of the next seven minutes, but the Islanders defense and Delaney kept the score at 1-0. The Islanders mounted a strong challenge in the final five minutes, with a nice run from Hailey Sutton resulting in a pair of corner kicks. On the first, Kallyn Redona got her head on the ball, but it trickled just off the mark, and the score remained 1-0 heading into the break.
After the Islanders came out of the locker room, the home squad turned up the pressure, and Franco had a pair of shots blocked in the 49th minute as the score remained 1-0 in favor of the Owls. The score remained that way into the 60th, but the Owls picked up the pressure at that point, and Delaney was able to make a pair of strong saves to keep the deficit at one.
But in the 76th, the Owls' pressure broke through, as a nice ball along the right side from Hughes sent Danielle Spriggs in on Delaney. Spriggs unleashed a shot high to the near side, and it cleared Delaney for a 2-0 Rice lead at 75:17. That score carried all the way to the final whistle, as the Islanders fell to 0-3 on the season and Rice improved to 2-1.
A&M-Corpus Christi play next Friday at Dugan Soccer Stadium against Texas State. The first 500 fans through the gates will receive an Islanders soccer scarf presented by Sprint.
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Florida State 3, Southeastern Louisiana 0
HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana women’s soccer team put together a game effort, but it was not enough in a 3-0 loss to top-ranked and defending national champion Florida State in front of 2,194 fans – the fifth-largest crowd in FSU history – Friday night at the FSU Soccer Complex.
The Lady Lions (2-1) and the host Seminoles (3-0) endured multiple weather delays totaling 90 minutes. Despite the challenges posed by Mother Nature and facing the nation’s premier team, Southeastern head coach Blake Hornbuckle was pleased with his team’s effort on Friday.
“We did some very nice things tonight,” Hornbuckle commented. “We had a couple of good chances that if we could’ve connected one more pass, we may have been able to tighten the score up. We executed our game plan well throughout. Florida State is extremely talented and kept us on defense for the majority of the match, but we were very pleased with how we were able to respond.
“We were very pleased with our players’ mentality,” Hornbuckle added. “After the match, there wasn’t a sense of satisfaction that we hung tough with the best team in the country. Our players knew that there were a couple of missed opportunities.”
Several Lady Lions earned their coach’s’ praise for their efforts on Friday.
“(Junior) Katie Noonan was an absolute rock along the back line,” Hornbuckle said. “She was matched up with an All-American in (FSU senior) Cheyna Williams and was able to limit her effectiveness. (Junior) Hope Sabadash was again extremely strong in goal.
“We were once again pleased with the play on the ball of (senior) Gisenia Utreras.” Hornbuckle continued. “(Senior) Kayla Vera had a good night and did a nice job getting us forward. (Junior) Marisa Rodrigues made a couple of great runs in the first half and we were just unfortunate not to be able to get her the ball.”
Sabadash finished with seven saves in the loss. Utreras was credited with two shots, while Vera and sophomore Maggie Ramsey each had a shot apiece.
FSU jumped out to an early lead just under two minutes in. Freshman Kaycie Tillman sent a shot past Sabadash to give the Seminoles the early lead.
After a lengthy weather delay, FSU was able to score another goal heading into halftime. Freshman Natalia Kuikka knocked in a shot from 18 yards out to give the ‘Noles a 2-0 lead.
FSU added to its advantage 10 minutes into the second half. Junior Kirsten Crowley headed in a corner kick by freshman Megan Connolly to give Florida State a 3-0 cushion.
Southeastern would make sure the margin would not grow, holding the No. 1 Seminoles scoreless for the match’s final 35 minutes.
SLU will return to action on Tuesday, hosting in-state rival Southern at 7 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium. LionVision subscribers will be able to access a live video stream of Tuesday’s match at LionSports.net. Admission to all SLU home soccer matches is free.
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