Late Goal Lifts Troy to Victory; Lewis Sets Wins Record
BOONE, North Carolina – Just days after conceding a late game-tying goal at Coastal Carolina, the Troy soccer team responded with determination as Kate Lorenz scored in the 88th minute to lift the Trojans to a 1-0 victory over Appalachian State on the road on Sunday. Goalkeeper Mikki Lewis earned the shutout for her 36th career win between the posts setting a new Troy career record.
After Kiersten Edlund's corner was cleared out of the box, Alison Watkins battled to win a 50-50 ball and skirted it back to Edlund, who put a perfect touch on a through ball between two defenders where Lorenz ran onto it and calmly placed her right-footed shot into the far side netting.
Lewis becomes the winningest goalkeeper in program history after surpassing Ashley Branham, who set the career wins mark with 35 between 2008-11. Lewis is a two-time All-Sun Belt selection and also owns Troy's career shutouts record with 29. The senior finished Sunday's game with four saves including a spectacular punch over the bar on a driven shot from distance in the game's opening minutes.
After leading for 78 minutes at Coastal Carolina on Friday, Troy conceded with just 59 seconds remaining in the game and ultimately fell in overtime. The team responded in a big way to pick up its second Sun Belt Conference win. Troy is now 4-7-2 overall and 2-2 in league play.
Appalachian State (2-7-2, 1-2 Sun Belt) had the majority of the chances early on firing six shots in the first 14 minutes. After a few mid-half adjustment, the Trojans began creating chances of their own. Maddie Brune came close to giving Troy the lead in the 28th minute, but her header off an Edlund corner was cleared off the line by a Mountaineer defender. Troy allowed just three shots in the final 45 minutes of play.
QUOTABLE
On win
"I'm proud of the team," head coach Ged O'Connor said. "They instituted what we wanted them to do, worked hard and got the result. Especially after the way we lost on Friday, I was happy with the way they bounced back."
On Lewis' record
"Her longevity and experience and her ability to play with confidence and poise is a testament to the type of player Mikki is; I'm happy for her and her career accomplishment."
UP NEXT
Troy gets an extra day off this week as the team does not take the field again until Sunday when it hosts Sun Belt rival South Alabama. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Troy Soccer Complex.
NOTEWORTHY
• Lorenz has now scored three goals on the season, including two in the last three games. Two of her three goals have been game-winners.
HARDYS TEAM UP FOR WIN OVER GEORGIA STATE
MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama seniors Rio and Steffi Hardy scored a goal apiece to lead the Jaguars to a 2-1 victory Sunday against Georgia State at The Cage.
The Jaguars win for the third straight game and are unbeaten in their last five outings to improve to 5-4-1 and 3-0 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Panthers fall to 3-7-1 and 1-3.
GAME FACTS
-It took less than a minute for the Jags to get on the board – Steffi headed home a corner kick from freshman Ana Helmert 48 seconds into the contest
-Rio doubled the advantage at the 22:55 mark after she hit a loose ball first time at the top of the 18-yard box into the left corner
-Sophomore Kory Dixon just missed adding another to USA's lead at 27:33 but her attempt from the right wing just grazed the left post
-Sophomore Brianna Morris forced GSU goalkeeper Brie Haynes to make two saves late in the first half – Morris got her head on a cross that went right to Haynes at 35:54, then forced Haynes to make a leaping save at 41:10
-The Jaguars held a 13-3 advantage in shots at halftime and put eight of those attempts on net
-Haynes stopped a breakaway from Rio six minutes into the second half
-The Panthers made it a one-goal game with 14 minutes left when Isabelle Guest volleyed home a corner kick from Ashley Thomas that deflected off the hands of USA goalkeeper Justice Stanford
-Georgia State tested Stanford three times in the last 11 minutes, but only one shot hit the target
-Stanford made four saves, Haynes had 10 stops
NOTES
-The Hardys scored in the same game for the fifth time in their career – it happened once in 2016 and three times in 2014
-Rio currently leads the team with four goals
-South Alabama led by multiple goals at halftime for the first time this season
-USA is 3-0 in Sun Belt play for the third straight season, and the third time in school history
-The Jaguars are 32-5-2 in conference games since the start of the 2014 season
-Rio broke a tie with Rebecca Kahn for third place at South Alabama in career game-winning goals with 10
-South Alabama has scored first and outshot its opponent seven times in the last eight games
-Georgia State snapped a five-game scoreless streak against South Alabama that dated back to the 2013 campaign
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
On getting off to a good start: "That was a dream start, right? When you're at home and you get that first goal within 50 seconds… I would have loved to have seen the opportunity that created the corner go in, but we scored off the fast play from us that started the game. That's how you want to play – high intensity in the first 5-10 minutes and put them on the back foot. I think we sent a message early. We needed that early start because they played Friday and we hadn't. It certainly set the tempo for the game."
On how he thought the team played: "That was one of our best first-half performances. I thought we moved the ball really well. In the second half we struggled with the depth. We need some able bodies back in the squad. In the second half it looked sloppy, it looked like every Sunday game that we've played. We need to learn from it. Had we kept the ball a little better, we wouldn't have made it as difficult on ourselves."
On Rio's goal: "That was a great finish. I thought it was a great performance for her today. She worked so hard in every other aspect even when we didn't have the ball. When she did get through on goal in the second half, she wasn't able to do it – heavy legs. She was fantastic today – I thought she was one of our best players. We've worked in practice on our movement into the final third, so we hoped to score a goal in the run of play. It wasn't the best goal we could've scored in the run of play, but we were picking away at it and we've definitely seen a lot of progress from practice. Hopefully the best has yet to come for this team."
On the defense's performance: "That's a tough one for the back four because you want them to get a clean sheet and they're so close every game. There's something missing there a little bit, but it's something for us to work on in practice and see how we can tighten it up. It was a nervy last 14 minutes, but it didn't have to be if we had put the game away. In the first half I thought we could have put the game away and we talked to them at halftime about that."
UP NEXT
The Jaguars go on the road next week, starting with a clash at Georgia Southern at 6 p.m. CDT.
Gudjonsdottir's Hat Trick Leads Trojans to 4-0 Victory
LITTLE ROCK – A hat trick from Erna Gutjonsdottir was the offensive spark Little Rock needed as the Trojans cruised to a 4-0 win over UT-Rio Grande Valley Sunday. With the victory, Little Rock evened its 2017 record at 5-5-1 while remaining undefeated at home (5-0-1).
With Little Rock holding a 1-0 lead, Gutjonsdottir notched her first goal of the season in the 31st minute, firing a shot from about 10 yards beyond the box just inside the left upright. Gutjonsdottir then found the back of the net twice in a three-minute period, putting shots past the UTRGV goalkeeper off loose ball opportunities, pushing Little Rock's lead to 4-0 after 45 minutes.
The Trojans came out firing from the opening whistle, outshooting the Vaqueros 8-0 over the first 10 minutes, capped by Liesa Seifert's header goal off a corner kick from Jaclyn Purvine in the 10th minute. Following an even back-and-forth tilt, Gutjonsdottir began her streak beginning in the 31st minute.
After 45 minutes, the Trojans held an 11-7 shots on the Vaqueros and a convincing 7-1 lead in corner kicks. Kate Hamilton, making the start in goal, registered a pair of saves, with UTRGV's Erica Gonzalez notching a pair as well.
The second half saw the two teams match evenly with UTRGV holding the edge in shots at 8-7. Both teams had opportunities to add to their totals, but four saves from Hamilton and three from Gonzalez kept the score at 4-0 in favor of the home team.
For the game, Little Rock held the advantage in shots (18-15) and saves (6-5) while holding a commanding 8-2 edge in corner kicks. The offensive surge was also a welcome relief for the Trojans who had registered just one goal in their past two games.
Gudjonsdottir registered a game-high four shots, putting all of them on net, with Morgan Smocovich and Doro Greulich each adding three shots apiece. Seifert's goal was one of her two shots with Samantha Rolka and Arola Aparicio Gili each taking a pair of shots as well.
The victory for the Trojans keeps Little Rock undefeated at home with a 5-0-1 record. Little Rock looks to extend that mark next weekend, welcoming ULM and Coastal Carolina to Coleman to close out the three game home stand. The Trojans and Warhawks will square off at 7 p.m. Friday, September 29.
Cade Gets A Brace As Cajuns Hold Off Eagles ,3-2
LAFAYETTE – In the sweltering heat senior Ashleigh Cade set the net on fire with two goals and an assist to help the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's soccer team win their Sun Belt Conference home opener, 3-2, holding off a late charge from the Georgia Southern Eagles on Sunday here at the Ragin' Cajuns Soccer/Track Complex.
It's the best game of Cade's career with the brace being the first time she's accomplished the feat and the assist means five points in a game for the first time in her career as well.
The win improves the Cajuns record to 5-4-1 (2-0-1 SBC) and it's the best start to conference play Louisiana has had since going 3-0-1 in 2007 to start off the conference. As for Georgia Southern it's their second loss of the weekend and they drop to 3-5-1 (1-2-0 SBC) on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED (First Half): For the first time this season the Cajuns had Friday off and their fresh legs paid dividends early in the match as they came out looking to attack early.
Before the match even hit the five-minute mark, with the clock sitting just inside the fourth minute, Cade took a throw-in from 30-yards out that she tossed into the box where freshman Una Einarsdottir screened two defenders and deflected the ball towards goal.
Senior Denice Emokpae, working her way behind Einarsdottir and crashing in front of net, stuck her knee out and the ball bounced right off into goal for the Cajuns to start the match off with a bang.
The goal was Emokpae's third goal on the season as she has come up big for the Cajuns in the final third.
It didn't take long for the Cajuns to get on the board yet again, and in the seventh minute in what's the fastest back-to-back goals scored in a game for the Cajuns since their 10-0 win against Alcorn State on Aug. 21, 2016, Cade got her first goal of the game.
After senior Whitney Taggart headed a ball towards goal, Eagles keeper Lauren Karinshak sent the clearance towards midfield, but junior Sarah Kozlowski sent it back towards the box.
Senior Rebecca Foley flicked the ball off her head towards Cade who timed her run perfectly. And just like that, after Cade smoked it into the net, the Cajuns were up 2-0 before the 10-minute mark of the first half.
It was Cade's first goal of the 2017 season, but she wasn't done just yet.
From there the Cajuns kept the pressure on and Emokpae added a shot late in the eighth minute that was cleaned up by senior Kimberly Grasso, both were blocked but the Cajuns weren't done attacking.
Louisiana's sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Lee recorded her first save of the match in the 28th minute off a shot that bounced around but she reacted quickly and made sure the Eagles didn't get back in the match.
As the half began to wind down the Cajuns were on the hunt for more, and they got what they were looking for right as the 42nd minute began.
Cade took a ball on a great run and attacked the Eagle keeper, but Karinshak made a great play on the ball and it bounced back out. Freshman Grace Champagne was there to keep the ball in the box and she attracted two defenders, and with her head up she found Cade on the far side of the box.
A perfect pass past those defenders and great positioning from Cade meant that the Cajuns scored yet another goal, her second of the season and the game to go up 3-0, ending one of the best halves they've played in the season so far.
HOW IT HAPPENED (Second Half): The second half began and the Cajuns maintained their pressure, but first Lee needed to yet again get involved. And in the 50th minute, Lee get another save on an Eagles shot at goal.
Both teams began to go back and forth and they traded shots in the 57th and 58th minutes. Both were just off target, but the tone for the second half was set and the Cajuns worked to keep their focus on the goal at hand.
A Lee save in the 68th minute resulted in a break away for the Cajuns and Einarsdottir saw a chance. She had been ranging out the 35-yard shot all second half, and in the 69th minute she almost cashed in as her long-distance shot banged off the underside of the crossbar before bouncing back out just missing the Cajuns fourth goal of the match.
Georgia Southern stayed in the match and in a five-minute period did something that can happen in soccer rather quickly, they changed the momentum.
A goal in the 72nd minute was followed up by a goal in the 75th minute to make it an exciting finish to the match, and one that the Cajuns quickly needed to get a handle on.
Get a handle on things they did, and in the final 15 minutes the Eagles only managed to take two shots, one of those being on goal, that Lee easily handled as the Cajuns held off the late surge from the Eagles to finish off their second conference win of the season with the final sitting at 3-2.
NOTEWORTHY: Lee recorded four saves and she's off to the best start for a Cajuns goalkeeper since Cosette Morche started the season 5-2-0 in 2015. Lee has already recorded 31 saves on the season as she continues to lock down the keeper spot; On top of her brace Cade finished the day with four shots, three of which were on goal along with playing the full match complement of 90 minutes; Emokpae has reached three goals in the season the fastest in her career this season and she's one away from tying her career high of four goals.
It's the second time the Cajuns have scored three goals in a half this season, the last being against Nicholls on Sept. 10; Louisiana wins conference home opener for the first time since beating Little Rock, 2-1, on Oct. 11, 2013.
UP NEXT: The Cajuns look to go unbeaten in their first four conference games for the first time since 2007 when they return to the pitch on Friday, Sept. 29 hosting the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at the Ragin' Cajuns Soccer/Track Complex with the match starting at 7 p.m. After that match the Cajuns hit the road heading to Atlanta, Georgia to face the Georgia State Panthers with a noon start on Sunday, Oct. 1.
The home match against Coastal Carolina has free admission and a free streaming will be provided on the Ragin' Cajuns Digital Network. As for the match in Atlanta, there will be a live stats courtesy of the Georgia State athletic department. Follow @RaginCajunsSOC for recaps and links to live stats and live streaming on match day.
Hormuth Heads Home Match-Winner Following Lightning Delay
JONESBORO, Ark. – A header goal off a corner kick from Kassi Hormuth was the lone score as Texas State walked out of the A-State Soccer Complex with a 1-0 victory over Arkansas State. The match was delayed nearly an hour and half because of lightning in the area during the second half.
With the win, the Bobcats are over .500 for the first time this season at 5-4-1 overall and improved to 3-1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play. The team is currently tied with South Alabama in the standings with nine points. The Red Wolves fell to 6-4-0 on the year and 2-2-0 in conference action.
ASU controlled possession for the first 16 minute of the match. During that time, the Red Wolves unleashed four shots with two of them being blocked and the others easily being saved by Heather Martin.
The rest of the half saw most of the momentum in Texas State's favor as ASU was held to a shot attempt. Jordan Kondikoff unleashed a shot from 30 yards out late in the 18th minute that saw the Red Wolves' Kelsey Ponder have to make a leaping save for the best scoring Bobcat scoring opportunity of the half.
A shot from Rachel Grout and another by Kondikoff were easily corralled by Ponder. Texas State's four other attempts either went wide or high of the goal.
In the first 15 minutes of the second half, the Bobcats took three shots to just one by ASU. That one shot was a hard one in the box that Chandler Cooney got her body in front of in the 51st minute to prevent a possible goal.
Play was halted with 29:39 remaining on the clock for a lightning delay that lasted 87 minutes. A small rain storm passed through the area during the delay as well.
Coming out of the break, Hormuth unleashed a shot from long distance in the 64th minute but was straight at Ponder.
Four minutes later the Red Wolves were awarded a free kick at the top of 18-yard box. The ensuing shot flew directly into the arms of Martin.
The Bobcats won a corner kick late in the 77th minute. Kira Zapalac whipped in the ball from the right corner that found Hormuth's head eight yards out. She sent the ball into the lower right corner past an ASU defender on the post who lost track of the ball in pack of players.
A foul was called again on Texas State early in the 81st minute just outside the penalty box for the second time in the period. Riley Ebenroth sent a shot past the right side of the Bobcat wall but right into the waiting arms of Martin that was the Red Wolves last great opportunity of the match.
Overall, the Bobcats held a lead in shots (12-9) and shots on goal (5-4) while getting called for 12 fouls to 11. ASU took five corners to TXST's two.
Hormuth led all players with four shot attempts. Also taking multiple shots for the Bobcats was Renny Moore and Kondikoff with two apiece. Both of Kondikoff's attempts were placed on goal and Hormuth had two shots on goal as well.
Martin recorded her second straight shutout and fifth in her career that ranks eighth in school history. The sophomore made four saves on the afternoon with two coming in each half.
Next up for Texas State is Appalachian State on Sunday, Oct. 1. The match will kickoff at 7 p.m. at the Bobcat Soccer Complex.