SOU Falls to No. 6 Carroll
ASHLAND, Ore. – The Southern Oregon women’s soccer team was handed its third loss of the season on Sunday at SOU’s University Field, dropping a 5-1 contest to the No. 6-ranked Carroll College (MT) Saints.
The Raiders (3-3-1, 1-0) played a fantastic first half, keeping up with the Saints’ (9-0) level of play with no problems. The Raiders were able to hold off the Saints for just over 20 minutes in the first half before Eileen Brennan knocked in the first goal of the game off a Jenni Annicchiarico assist. For the remainder of the first half the Raiders were able to play even with the Saints, holding the score to 1-0.
The Saints came out with a bit more fire in the second half with Hannah Young sneaking in Carroll’s second goal at 47:25 in the game. Young’s shot was a soft rolling shot which snuck just past the reach of SOU goalie, Melanie Hopkins (Salt Lake City, Utah). Just over four minutes later, Young connected with teammate Kate Horak for the Saints' third goal of the game.
A quick reaction to the Saints’ goal, Auika Muragin (Koloa, Hawaii) sent a super cross from the right just in front of the left post where Emily Werckman (Petaluma, Calif.) was able to send the ball into the net for her first goal of the season.
With only eight minutes to play, the Saints struck again with a solid one-touch goal from Annicchiarico off a Brennan assist. Carroll’s Valerie Feltz closed out the match with a goal at 86:06 after she dribbled in and shot past Hopkins for the 5-1 win.
“I thought we gave a really good account of ourselves,” said SOU head coach Jon Clement. “We played some great soccer, and I am particularly proud of the way we responded to what could have been a crushing third goal (for the Saints). At the end of the game we pushed a defender forward, and Carroll, to its credit, took advantage, but I am still really excited about the direction of where our team is going.”
The Saints topped the Raiders in shots 29-8. Saints goalie Nikki Skaggs totaled four saves, while SOU’s Hopkins tallied 13 saves in 90 minutes. Carroll often put pressure on the goal, taking advantage of a 10-0 count on corner kicks.
“All credit to Carroll,” expressed Clement. “They had the most synergy of any team we played thus far and I feel they will be a top team all year long. We’ll work really hard to get a rematch with them in the regional tournament.”
The Raiders will continue their season on Wednesday, Sept. 19 when they travel to Redding, Calif., to take on Simpson University at 4 p.m. The Raiders will return home on Friday, Sept. 21 for a 3 p.m. matchup against Albertson College.