Cajuns Charge Past Arkansas State 2-1 In Overtime
JONESBORO, ARK. – Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's soccer team got their Sun Belt Conference play off to an exciting start while earning three big road points here at Arkansas State when in the 94th minute after earning a penalty shot, freshman Una Einarsdottir calmly took to the spot and cleanly sent home the winning goal for the Cajuns to beat the Red Wolves 2-1 in overtime here at the A-State Soccer Complex.

Louisiana starts off conference play with a big road win getting three points to raise their record to 4-4-0 (1-0-0 SBC), while Arkansas State drops their first conference match putting their record at 3-4-0 (0-1-0 SBC).

HOW IT HAPPENED (First Half): The hardest thing to do in conference is to get three points on the road, for the Cajuns the three points they got tonight were not given but earned.

Louisiana's road to victory started off with them setting a pace they kept for most of the match and in the fourth minute Einarsdottir got her first shot of the match nailing the crossbar with a powerful shot.

From there the Cajuns kept pushing the tempo, making sure they kept possession, while keeping the pressure off sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Lee.

Shots from senior Kimberly Grasso (27th minute), Einarsdottir yet again (31st minute) and sophomore Kaylie Powell (34th minute) all showed that the Cajuns were asking the questions throughout the first half.

In fact, through the entire half, the Red Wolves didn't record a single shot on goal, as Lee maintained her readiness the Cajuns defense played stingy and wouldn't let the Red Wolves within even a sight of goal.

As time was winding down in the first half, the Cajuns' hard work and strong possession finally paid off.

Senior Denice Emokpae worked a ball through the Red Wolves defense, catching a few defenders flat footed, and she made sure they paid the ultimate price.

With only eight seconds left in the half, Emokpae sent the ball scooting past Red Wolves keeper, Megan McClure, to shock the Red Wolves and give the Cajuns a 1-0 advantage heading into the break.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Second Half): With the second half underway, the Cajuns weren't ready to let up on the Red Wolves, and they yet again set the tone when in the 48th minute, off a Einarsdottir corner, senior Whitney Taggart sent a header just wide of goal.

But the message had been sent, and the Cajuns weren't backing down determined to get three on the road.

While the Red Wolves stepped up their game, becoming more active in the second half, the Cajuns defense stayed focused and through the middle parts of the half the Cajuns kept the Red Wolves from getting a shot on goal.

In the 69th minute senior Ashleigh Cade took a shot that flew just wide of goal, followed shortly by freshman Ally Busalacchi, in the 70th minute, taking a shot off a corner from junior Alexis Miller.

The match entered the final 10 minutes and the Cajuns were still on top, but Arkansas State earned a corner that set up a tying goal.

At the 81st minute mark the Red Wolves Taylor Schneider received that corner, sending a powerful header just barely past a diving Lee to even up the score at 1-1.

But Lee wasn't fazed by the goal, because in the 86th minute she was tested yet again, this time passing with flying colors.

Arkansas State's Abby Harris took a ball off to the left side and had a clear shot at goal, but Lee saw it and reacted perfectly. She timed her leap just right and as the ball was sent towards the left post, Lee dove to her right and made a big time save to make sure there would be overtime.

With the score tied at 1-1, the match headed into a golden goal overtime period with two ten minute halves scheduled. The Cajuns wouldn't need anywhere near that much time.

HOW IT HAPPENED (First Overtime): As overtime began the Cajuns began yet again to ask all the questions and a massive scrum in front of the Arkansas net gave the Cajuns a bigtime payoff.

After a few bodies hit the floor, the official blew his whistle and without hesitation, pointed directly to the spot. Einarsdottir knew it was her time.

Stepping up to the spot, where she's beginning to make a name for herself, Einarsdottir ended the match with one swift and confident kick sending the ball past the diving keeper.

She leaped for joy and was swarmed by her Cajuns teammates as the three points the Cajuns had worked so hard for had finally been locked up.

Getting three points in conference play is hard enough, doing it on the road is even harder. But Friday night the Cajuns showed that determination and confidence will lead to victory as they leave Jonesboro with a 2-1 well-earned victory.

NOTEWORTHY: The penalty kick scored by Einarsdottir is already the second of her career, as she is putting together a memorable freshman campaign; Not to be outdone Emokpae's goal was her second of the season; Grasso made her first start of the season and was busy recording three shots on the day; Powell, Taggart and senior Rebecca Foley each played the entire game racking up 93 plus minutes for the entire match; Lee's solid match improves her record to 4-1-0 on the season and it's her first career conference win.

For the Cajuns, it's the first overtime win in conference play since needing two overtimes to beat Troy in Troy, Alabama on Sept. 25, 2016; It's the first time in school history they've won their conference opener with an overtime victory; It's only the second time that Arkansas State and Louisiana have played an overtime match and the Cajuns won that one in Jonesboro with an identical score, 2-1, on Oct. 1, 2006.

UP NEXT: The Cajuns continue their first weekend of conference play with a trip to Little Rock on Sunday, Sept. 17 as they look to start off conference play with two big wins.

Aussin's Goal Sends Eagles Over Chanticleers in Sun Belt Conference Opener
STATESBORO, Ga. – Under clear skies and a freshly cut pitch, the Eagles kicked off their 2017 Sun Belt Conference play against Coastal Carolina. The Eagles and Chanticleers played a very even match to begin the first half. The Eagles recorded the first shot of the game about 9 minutes in.

The first half was even with the shots favoring Coastal Carolina 7-5, but the Eagles back line and goalkeeper continued to make plays. Lauren Karinshak collected her fourth clean sheet of the season and her fifth of her career. Karinshak continued to make the timely saves including a diving stop from post to post in the 55th minute.

Minutes after Karinshak's save, the Eagles used a counter attack to their advantage, driving people into the box and forcing a corner kick. The Eagles would take the corner kick and attack the Chanticleers defense. Frida Brattum was injured on the play and the ball trickled across the box to a waiting Nicole Aussin. Aussin took a touch and shot from about 18 yards out to score the game winner for the Eagles.

MATCH FACTS
Coastal Carolina (5-3-0) (0-1-0) – 0
Georgia Southern (3-3-1) (1-0-0) – 1

SCORING
55' - GS – Nicole Aussin scores from 18 yards out, giving the Eagles the lead.

NOTES
- Juvenia Hylton picked up the first yellow card for the Eagles this season.
- Coastal Carolina's head coach Paul Hogan awarded a red card in the 88th minute.
- Eagles outshot the Chanticleers 11-10, with shots on goal being even at 8 a side.
- Lauren Karinshak had 8 saves posting her fourth clean sheet of the season and fifth of her career.
- Nicole Aussin scored her second goal of the season giving the Eagles a victory on the road to open conference play.

WHAT HEAD COACH BRIAN DUNLEAVY SAID
"Outstanding result on the road. Our players earned it tonight, Coastal is a tough team to match up with. They're athletic, well coached, and very organized, their forwards are a handful to mark. Lauren Karinshak was fantastic tonight. I'm really proud of her, she came up big when we needed her. We had a great team performance across the board, it was a total team effort. There were some moments we need to learn from, as we move forward and positives to build on. But I'm happy for them, they gave everything they had tonight."

NEXT UP
The Eagles will travel to Texas State (2-3-1) (1-0-0) and Louisiana (3-4-0) (0-0-0) to conclude their month long road trip.

DIXON’S OT GOAL GIVES SOCCER COMEBACK WIN OVER APP STATE
MOBILE, Ala. – Sophomore Kory Dixon scored in the 105th minute to give the University of South Alabama soccer team a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Appalachian State Friday night at The Cage.

The Jaguars (3-4-1, 1-0) – unbeaten in their last four games – got a goal from senior Danielle Henley with 1:33 left to send the game into extra time.

GAME FACTS
-The Mountaineers (1-6-2, 0-1) got on the board at 12:16 after Kat Greer lofted her shot from the left wing over the USA goalkeepers' head
-The shots through the first 43 minutes of the second half were 5-5, but only a shot from USA freshman Anita Agustsdottir through traffic in the 53rd minute managed to hit the target
-Henley almost tied it up at 88:14, but her shot from the left wing was cleared off the line by an Mountaineer defender
-Just 13 seconds later, Henley was open in the same spot again but buried it – Agustsdottir's cross was flicked on by senior Rio Hardy right to Henley
-Senior Tiina Trutsi almost won it with 28 seconds left in regulation, but her attempt was stopped by App State's Taylor Ray
-The teams combined for just one shot in the first extra period
-Hardy fought off her defender for a close shot early in the second overtime but it was kept out by Ray
-Ray made a diving stop on a shot from Henley less than a minute later to maintain the tie
-Following Appalachian State's clearance of a corner kick, Agustsdottir sent a high ball into the Jags final third that was deflected off the head of a Mountaineer defender right to Dixon who converted the one-on-one chance for her first goal of the season

NOTES
-South Alabama starts 1-0 in Sun Belt for the fourth straight year and is unbeaten in its last five league openers
-The Jaguars lead the series with the Mountaineers 4-1-1 and are 2-0 at home
-Dixon's only other career goal came last season vs. Coastal Carolina in the home finale
-USA has outshot five of its last six opponents after holding a 17-12 edge tonight, including 11-4 on goal
-Agustsdottir's assist is the first of her career
-Hardy's assist pulls her even with Trutsi for the team lead in points with seven
-Henley has scored a goal in each of her last two outings
-South Alabama last played in back-to-back double overtime games at the start of the 2016 season
-The Jaguars are 30-5-2 in Sun Belt play in the last five seasons
-Greer's goal ended a streak of five straight games of South Alabama scoring first

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
Overall thoughts on the game: "That was fantastic. I think good teams play bad and they can lose, and great teams can play bad and they always find a way to win. I think we found a way to win tonight. That's a sign of having a great team. Appalachian State did fantastic, scored early and held on to it, and made it difficult for us. We got a little break there at the end and Kory Dixon got on the scoresheet. We were actually getting ready to bring her off. It was a great finish from her."

On the sense of urgency late in regulation: "At halftime we told them don't wait until the last minute to do something, and sure enough they wait until the last minute. Again, great teams find a way to win. If you're going to be a contender in this conference, you have to win at home. That's two games back-to-back that we've been in extra time, so for them to have the legs and go into double overtime again, speaks volumes, because it's the same 15 girls rotating in and out."

On the action late in the game: "I don't know if their goalkeeper will make two saves like that again in her life – that's a phenomenal save and she really kept them in the game. I'm glad we kept putting the pressure on them. Danielle, as soon as she got that goal, she was flying. If we can get her switched on at the start of the game and get her on the ball a bit more, she's deadly."

On what this game could mean: "It's one of these moments that can make or break you as a team. You're at home in your first game in the conference, you're losing, you get the goal to come back, and when you get the winner, it's so important. You see the girls and how much it means to them. That's what you need. I hope we can build on it now. Every game means everything to us, as a coaching staff and a program, because we want to represent the university well."

UP NEXT
The Jaguars continue their three-match homestand Sunday against Louisiana-Monroe at 1 p.m.

Aldrich, Cobbin Lead Trojans Past ULM
TROY, Alabama – The Troy soccer team opened Sun Belt Conference play with a bang defeating ULM, 2-0, at the Troy Soccer Complex on Friday.

Lauren Aldrich and Mecca Cobbin scored their first goals of the season, while goalkeeper Mikki Lewis won her 35th career game between the posts tying the school record set by Ashley Branham (2008-11). Lewis also earned her 28th career shutout extending her record-holding mark.

Aldrich – a transfer from UMass Lowell – got Troy on the board in the 24th minute when she headed in a service from Cobbin from the right wing. Cobbin beat the defender and struck a right-footed cross to the far post. Aldrich out-jumped her mark and lofted a header over the keeper to the opposite post for the score.

Troy (3-5-2, 1-0) doubled its lead in the 43rd minute when Amber Harless skidded a pass to Cobbin entering the right side of the box. The junior slotted a shot past the keeper to the far post for her first career goal.

The Trojans outshot ULM (0-8-1) 14-3, the third time this season Troy has outshot an opponent by nine or more.

QUOTABLE
"I thought we got out to great start," head coach Ged O'Connor said. "I was a little disappointed in the second half, I thought our tires went flat. But, you are always happy to win a conference game and start out 1-0."

UP NEXT
Troy travels to Jonesboro to take on Arkansas State on Sunday. The Red Wolves (4-3, 0-1) fell to UL Lafayette, 2-1, in their SBC opener. Troy is 3-0-1 against ASU in the last four meetings. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 (WatchESPN.com)

NOTEWORTHY
• Amber Harless made an immediate impact on Friday, recording her first assist of the season despite playing just four minutes.

• With 35 career wins, Mikki Lewis is now just one shy of becoming the winningest goalkeeper in Troy history. She already owns the career shutouts record and is on pace to set the career goals against average mark.

• Troy has won its Sun Belt Conference opener two straight years.

Davis’ Brace Leads Bobcats to Victory in SBC Opener
ATLANTA – Sophomore forward Kaylee Davis recorded her first career brace in the Texas State soccer team's 3-1 win over Georgia State Friday afternoon at the GSU Soccer Complex. It was the fourth straight year that the Bobcats have won their Sun Belt Conference opener.

With the victory, TXST reaches the .500 mark for the first time this season at 3-3-1 overall and are 1-0-0 in conference play. The Panthers are now 2-5-1 on the season with a 0-1-0 SBC record.

Brooke Ramsey had a shot attempt early in the 19th minute stopped by the GSU goalkeeper but the ball bounced out of bounds for a corner kick. The senior sent the ball into the box and found Alyssa Phelan, who's shot attempt nearly crossed the goal line but was knocked out by the keeper.

Luckily for TXST, Rachel Grout was there to knock the ball into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. It was Grout's team leading third goal of the season and the 11th of her career. The assist was Phelan's first this season.

The ensuing 23-plus minutes saw the teams take one shot apiece with the Bobcats attempt coming from Sydney Kammer in the 38th minute.

With 26 seconds left until the halftime horn, Kaylee Davis beat the defense and the goalkeeper to slot home a shot into the bottom left corner after receiving a pass from Kammer to extend the lead to 2-0. It was Davis' first goal in a Texas State uniform and Kammer's first career assist.

The second half saw the Panthers outshoot TXST 10-4 with half of their attempts being on goal. Jordan Kondikoff nearly snuck one of the Bobcats' four shots into the top portion of the net in the 76th minute but her attempt grazed the crossbar and out for a goal kick.

Heather Martin came up big in the second period with four saves. However, GSU was able to sneak a penalty kick by her in the 86th minute to cut the lead to 2-1.

Nearly two minutes later the Panthers were called for a foul in the penalty box to award a penalty kick to the Bobcats. Davis stepped up to the spot and drilled the ball into the back of the net for her second goal of the contest and increased the advantage back to two scores.

The converted penalty kick by Davis was the second this season for Texas State. It is the first time since 2011 and seventh season in program history that the team has made at multiple penalty kicks in a campaign.

Davis and Turman were the only TXST players to attempt multiple shots with two apiece. Renny Moore, Grout, Phelan and Ramsey all placed their lone shot attempts on goal.

Martin made a season-high six saves while playing the entire match between the posts for the first time this season.

Next up for the Bobcats is a Sunday match at Coastal Carolina with kickoff set for 12 p.m. CDT.

For more information on the Texas State soccer team, visit the official website of Texas State Athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, like on Facebook at Texas State Soccer and follow on Instagram and Twitter at @TxStateSoccer.