MOBILE, Ala. (September 17, 2021) – The Spring Hill College (SHC) women's soccer team opened the Gulf South Conference (GSC) portion of its schedule on Friday afternoon with a rain-soaked 3-1 loss to the University of West Alabama (UWA) Tigers at Sage Park.
The Tigers (3-0-1; 1-0 GSC) grabbed a quick 1-0 lead with a goal by Anele Komani off assists from Dana Cruz and Megan Ongteco just one minute into play and then expanded the lead to 3-0 in the 9
th minute with unassisted goals by Cruz and Komani.
At that point, the rains and lightning interrupted play for over an hour, but the Badgers regrouped during the stoppage and came out with a new determined attitude.
Carson Reeves got things started when she planted a penalty kick in the back of the net following a Tiger handball in the box to slice the deficit down to 3-1 in the 27
th minute.
The second period saw the Badgers take control on defense while UWA began to wear down physically. Several scoring opportunities developed for SHC, but the pieces to the puzzle just did not fall into place when needed.
Following the game, SHC head coach
Emily Marcouiller praised her team's second half effort. "I thought we played well for 65 minutes," she said. "The three goals we let in early were our mistakes and we know they can be fixed. We created some great chances that we didn't put away, but overall I am very proud of everyone and most of all the way we competed and fought till the very end."
Marcouiller ended with a confident note. "I am really focusing on the positives and can't wait to see what they bring for Sunday," she said.
Badger starting keeper
Anna Brunner (0-5) made four saves against 10 shots and two corner kicks by UWA with both corners coming in the first 10 minutes of play.
For the Tigers, Tabitha Weldon took the win with one save versus four shots and five corners from the Badgers.
The Badgers (0-5; 0-1 GSC) continue GSC play versus the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Chargers (1-1-1; 0-0 GSC) on Sunday at Library Field at 1 p.m.
