JONESBORO, Ark. – Freshman Brenna McPartlan scored in the 98th minute and junior Justice Stanford made several crucial saves as the University of South Alabama soccer team won 1-0 in overtime at Arkansas State Thursday afternoon at the A-State Soccer Complex.
The Jaguars win their second straight to improve to 5-7 overall and 3-2 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Red Wolves fall to 5-5-2, 3-2.
GAME FACTS
- McPartlan has three goals this season, all on set pieces
- Her goal today, from just outside the 18-yard box, ended the contest at 97:39
- Midway through the first period, Stanford made her first big save of the afternoon, stopping Arkansas State's Sarah Sodoma who got a 1-on-1 opportunity in the box
- Madison Garrison got on the end of an A-State cross from 12 yards out but put it wide
- USA senior Hannah Godfrey headed a corner kick just over the bar late in the first half
- Shortly after halftime, the Red Wolves had two opportunities to break the tie when crosses rolled through the six-yard box but stayed out
- McPartlan accounted for South Alabama's first shot on goal in the 61st minute, sending her shot straight to Kelsey Ponder
- Victoria MacIntosh tested Stanford in the 63rd minute, forcing her to make a leaping stop in the upper right corner, then nine minutes later, Stanford made an identical stop on a shot from Haley Husted
- Stanford made another diving save at 80:05 when Taylor Schneider tried Stanford in the lower right corner
- Jaguar freshman Moa Öhman hit the crossbar from 25 yards out with just over 10 minutes left
- A-State outshot USA 16-14, but the Jags had the games' only two attempts in overtime
- Stanford was credited with six saves in recording her fourth clean sheet of the season
NOTES
- Stanford's shutout is the 22nd of her career, extending her school record and placing her in a four-way tie for sixth in conference history
- South Alabama is 1-1 in overtime games this season
- McPartlan leads the Jaguars with three goals and seven points
- Junior Camryn Lyster got her second career start – both in the last two games – and played 48 minutes
- The Jaguars are now 1-5 in 2018 when being outshot by their opponent
- USA has won the last four meetings in Jonesboro
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
On getting the win: "It's the first time in a while that we were held to that low of a number of chances. First, it's a tough place to play. The grass is long and it's a tough field and location to play at; it's very compact. They made us do something we didn't want to do. They forced us to try and play long ball and that wasn't our game. We didn't create as many chances as we could or should have. We didn't play our best, but we wanted to get a result on the road and that's massive. We're happy with the result, maybe not with the performance."
On McPartlan: "Without a doubt, for me, she's the best freshman in the conference. There's nobody like her. The problem for Brenna is she plays in a role where she sits in front of the back four, picking off loose balls and winning second balls. The job that she does goes with very little reward, so when she gets half a chance in front of goal, she's going to take it. It was a great free kick. If the net wasn't there, that ball would've crossed the state line; she smashed it. It was a great free kick and decision in a moment where we needed it the most."
On Stanford: "Justice Stanford was the best player on the field today, without a doubt. I felt like she got robbed last year; she is the best goalkeeper in the league. I think the girl at Texas State (Heather Martin) is very good, but she has nothing on Justice. Justice made big saves today when she had to and she can distribute the ball like no other goalkeeper in the conference. People need to give her more recognition because she's done very well against a tough schedule. She deserved a clean sheet. The saves she made today outweigh the chance Brenna took. The job Justice did today was phenomenal. I'm really proud of her, the girls are ecstatic for her and I hope she continues to set and break records."
UP NEXT
The Jaguars stay in Arkansas and go to Little Rock for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Sunday.