SUNDAY'S SCORES
Morehead State 2, Wyoming 1
Marshall 3,
@Easten Kentucky 1
Belmont 2, @UNC Asheville 1
Murray State 1, @Saint Louis 0
@Eastern Illinois 1, Green Bay 1
Jacksonville State 3, @Alabama State 0
@Oklahoma State 1,
UT Martin 0
@UALR,
Tennessee Tech 0
SIUE 1, @Northern Illinois 0
MOREHEAD STATE 2, WYOMING 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - - Senior midfielder Paige Weber scored her third career goal, and senior forward Jade Flory converted a penalty kick to help the Morehead State soccer team to a 2-1 victory against Wyoming Sunday at Jayne Stadium.
MSU improved to 5-1-2, while the Cowgirls, from the Mountain West Conference, dipped to 2-5-0. Morehead State has produced a five-match improvement from this point last season when the Eagles were 0-7-1.
Weber broke the scoring stalemate at 40:21 with her first goal of the season. After sophomore Angela Black fed her a cross pass, Weber sliced a successful 15-yard shot past Wyoming goalkeeper Georgia Rowntree. It marked Black's sixth career helper.
Senior midfielder Holly Tilley was knocked down from behind in the keeper's box at 47:58, resulting in an MSU penalty kick. Flory smashed a shot to the bottom left post for her team-best seventh goal of the year. She now has 21 career scores in 30 matches at MSU and is tied for fourth on the career chart with former Eagle Stephanie Sandfoss, who played in 1999 and 2000.
Wyoming thwarted the shutout bid at 57:19 when Kasey Curtis banged a 15-yard shot past MSU junior goalkeeper Elizabeth Floyd. Alison Clarke was credited with the assist following a long pass down the middle of the field.
Morehead State held slight advantages in shots, 8-7, and corner kicks, 4-3. Both keepers made one save.
MSU travels to Xavier on Friday at 7 p.m. ET and wraps up next weekend at Wright State Sunday at 1 p.m.
MARSHALL 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University soccer team held a lead for most of the game, but three Marshall goals in the second half stole a win from the Colonels on Sunday afternoon at EKU Soccer Field.
The Thundering Herd (3-2-2) scored three times in less than 10 minutes to defeat the Colonels (2-5-0). EKU’s 1-0 lead held up until the 61st minute.
The first Marshall goal was a deflection off of a save from EKU keeper Anna Hall. Marshall’s Erin Simmons put the deflection into the right side of the goal to equal the match. Four minutes later, Marshall scored again off of corner kick to take the lead.
The final goal came off a free kick, where Marshall’s Kristine Culicerto headed the ball in past Hall in the 71st minute.
A tale of two halves, Eastern held control for most of the game, but the Colonel offense was limited to just six shots the entire match, and only two in the second half.
The Colonels scored their lone goal in the 15th minute. Mikayla Brillon’s shot on goal was deflected by a Marshall defender to Cassie Smith, whose shot sailed past Marshall’s keeper, Lizzie Kish.
Hall had several timely saves against the Thundering Herd including a diving one at the 41st minute that preserved EKU’s 1-0 lead going into intermission. She stopped all six Marshall shots in the first half.
Marshall had 19 shots during the match, 13 of those being on goal. Marshall’s Lia Foster assisted on the Thundering Herd’s final two goals.
EKU will play again September 19 at 7 p.m. on the road against Cleveland State.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 1, GREEN BAY 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois women's soccer continues to inch towards that first victory of the season as the Panthers tied UW Green Bay on Sunday afternoon, 1-1, at Lakeside Field.
EIU is now 0-6-1 on the season and will host Valparaiso on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. Green Bay is now 4-2-2 on the year.
Chris Reed put the Panthers on the board in the first half scoring a goal in her fourth consecutive game with a shot in the 23rd minute. Reed's shot was off an assist from Kathleen MacKinnon as she touched the ball into the net off a pass from the side of the goal box.
EIU led 1-0 at the break.
Green Bay tied the game in the 66th minute as Heidi Hartmann connected for a low shot past EIU goalkeeper Kylie Morgan to knot that game at 1-1. Hartmann's goal was assisted by Leah Nitardy who served the ball from 25-yards out in the middle of the field. Hartmann was on the offense for the Phoenix most of the day finishing with nine total shots including five on goal.
Morgan finished with 10 saves while Green Bay keeper Nastacia Behle finished with four. Both teams had a chance for an additional goal in the second half as both teams had shots bounce off the cross bar. Abby Juzwik had a shot hit off the bar in the 53rd minute for Green Bay while Bianca Navejas shot in the 82nd minute found the bar.
Green Bay finished the match with 23 total shots. EIU had eight. EIU had two shots in overtime compared to three for Green Bay.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, ALABAMA STATE 0
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Jacksonville State netted a pair of goals in the first 15 minutes of its Sunday match with Alabama State to cruise to a 3-0 win over the Hornets at the Alabama State Soccer Stadium.
The win moved the Gamecocks to 4-4 on the season and the first win of their four-match road trip that began last Sunday. JSU picked up a weekend split after falling to Troy on Friday evening. ASU fell to 3-5 overall.
Junior Kelsey Bright registered her sixth goal of the season almost 10 minutes deep in to the contest. The Kingwood, Texas native lofted a ball over the Hornets' keeper in to the top right corner of the goal. Bright's scoring play was set up by senior Brianna Salverda, who was credited with her first career assist.
Jax State added its second goal in the first 15 minutes off the foot of sophomore Nicola Dominikovich. After Jackie Rush's shot was blocked by the ASU keeper, Dominikovich finished the scoring threat with a goal. It was her third goal of the season after recording a pair against Mississippi Valley State earlier in the season.
Defensively, the Gamecocks were equally impressive by allowing just five shots for the entire 90 minutes. ASU's first shot came 30 minutes in to the opening half as Aaliyah Lewis' attempt was saved by JSU keeper, Meara Johnson. Johnson posted her second shutout of the season.
JSU finished with 19 total shots, including nine on-goal chances. Rush turned in a match-high four shots. Bright tallied three shots, while Dominikovich and Mackenzie Bellows added a pair of shots.
Bellows added JSU's third goal in the 69th minute after ASU's Zaria Maynard was issued a yellow card inside the box. Bellows scored her fourth goal of the season after a successful penalty kick.
The Gamecocks wrap up their four-match road trip next weekend with a rare Saturday-only match. The Red and White will trek to Muncie, Indiana to face off with Ball State on Sept. 20. Match time is set for 1 p.m. It will be the second meeting all time between the Gamecocks and Cardinals. The only previous meeting came during the 2001 season in a tournament hosted by Southeast Missouri. BSU claimed a 1-0 decision.
BELMONT 2, UNC ASHEVILLE 1
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - -- Despite an early deficit, the Belmont women's soccer team (3-2-2) rallied to come from behind and defeat first-time opponent UNC Asheville (4-3-0) on the road Sunday. The Bruins toppled the Bulldogs, 2-1.
UNCA got on the board first in the 20th minute of action but the Bruins remained undaunted in their hunt for the equalizer and game winner.
BU struck in the second stanza, just five minutes in. Senior Taylor Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) headed in the team's first goal off a direct kick by classmate Alison Alcott (Dallas, Texas). Five minutes later, senior Allie Hicks (Carmel, Ind.) would drill the gamewinner with help from junior Sydney Omweg (Yorktown, Va.).
Belmont appeared to dominate the matchup from the opening whistle statistically, holding a commanding lead in shots, 22-8.
Sophomore Meg Howard (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Smith led the Bruins with four shots apiece. Freshman Belicia Mendiola (McKinney, Texas) and Hicks followed with a total of three shots each.
Between the posts, senior Megan Byrd (Gurnee, Ill.) went the distance, collecting only one save thanks to the stellar defense of her teammates.
BU returns to action on Friday, September 19 at E.S. Rose Park, hosting Evansville.
MURRAY STATE 1, SAINT LOUIS 0
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Pavlina Nepokojova’s goal in the 79th minute was enough offense to lift the Murray State women’s soccer team by Saint Louis, 1-0, on Sunday afternoon at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.
It was a tale of two halves for Murray State (2-4) as the Racers struggled offensively in the opening stanza. MSU was outshot by the Billikens, 7-2, in the first half, with just one of those going on target, while four of SLU’s were on goal. It was not as if MSU did not have chances in the frame, as it only had one less corner kick than SLU and committed just one foul to the Billikens’ nine.
However, in the second half it was SLU (3-4) that found itself on its heels. MSU put four of its seven shots on goal, while the Billikens placed just three of five. Just when the Racers looked as if they were headed for a second-straight overtime, Nepokojova broke through with a shot that crossed the face of the goal into the opposite corner for the game-winner.
Nepokojva, Julie Mooney, Harriet Withers and Taylor Stevens each took two shots in the game, while Rebecca Bjorkvall had one. Mooney led Murray State in the match in shots on goal with two, while Nepokojova, Stevens and Withers had one a piece.
Shelby Haworth not only picked up her first collegiate win in the contest, but also notched her first clean sheet as a Racer, She ended the match with a career-high seven saves, but none was bigger than a leaping dive to knock Kristen Clemens’ laser of a shot out of the way in the 87th minute to preserve her team’s lead and the win.
After five matches on the road, Murray State will return home this weekend to the friendly confines of Cutchin Field. On Friday, MSU will play host to IUPUI, followed by Northern Kentucky on Sunday.
SIUE 1, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 0
DEKALB, Ill. - SIUE women's soccer grabbed a 1-0 victory on the road against Northern Illinois.
SIUE scored the only goal is the game early in the 10th minute.
Freshman Caroline Hoefert netted her first goal of the season. Freshman Emily Grahl assisted the play.
The Cougars were able to hold the Huskies scoreless, their first shutout on the season.
Pelley made three saves on the game. SIUE outshot NIU 10-4.
The Cougars play at home Fri. Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. against North Dakota State.
OKLAHOMA STATE 1, UT MARTIN 0
STILLWATER, Okla. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s soccer team could not overcome a second half goal in its attempt to upset Big 12 Conference foe Oklahoma State on the road Sunday afternoon, falling to the Cowgirls 1-0.
The Skyhawks (4-3) dropped their third consecutive game by a combined three goals while being held scoreless through the first three games of the current six game road trip. Forwards Rianna Jarrett, Ellie Myrick and Ashlie Watson each tallied two shot attempts on the day, but the game’s lone shot on goal came from senior Alyssa Curtis.
Senior goalkeeper Mariah Klenke got the start between the posts, tallying eight saves in 90 minutes of play. Klenke allowed one goal on 14 shot attempts by the Cowgirls.
Oklahoma State (2-6) was paced by the play of Madison Mercado who scored the game’s winning goal in the 66th minute. Courtney Dike led the team with six shot attempts on the day, including four attempts on goal. Goalkeeper Medina Rosa tallied one save in 90 minutes of play.
The Cowgirls came out as the aggressors, winning the shot battle 14-7 on the afternoon while also tallying 12 corner kicks. OSU fired its first shot attempt just 43 seconds into the match, but Klenke would tally her first of five first half saves.
OSU would fire three shot attempts in the final five minutes of the first half, but Klenke would once again come up strong between the posts, tallying three saves to preserve the scoreless tie going into the halftime break.
The scoreless match would not last at the dismay of the Skyhawks. Allie Stephenson would find Mercado with a cross into the box before the striker tapped the ball into the goal in the 66th minute. The goal was Mercado’s second of the season.
The Skyhawks would nearly find the much needed equalizer in the 77th minute off of Watson, but her attempt would hit off the post before a Myrick rebound attempt sailed high to extinguish the team’s final scoring opportunity.
UT Martin will look to reverse the tide when they return to action on Friday, Sept. 19 when they travel to Kennesaw State at 6 p.m.
UALR 1, TENNESSEE TECH 0
LITTLE ROCK, Ala. - Tennessee Tech dropped 1-0 road contest to UALR on Sunday afternoon. With the loss Tech fell to 2-5-0 while UALR improved to 8-0 on the season.
Neither team could find the back of the net in the first half. UALR's Quin Wilkes scored on a pentaly kick for the only goal of the game.
Tennessee Tech's Zoie Hensley led the eam wih a pair of shots including one on goal.
Tech goalkeeper Rebecca Toler gave up one goal and made four stops in the game.
The Golden Eagles will be back in action on Friday as they travel to Wright State.