Alexis Mahoney scored the Raiders' first goal in the 17th minute
Southern Oregon Opens Season with 3-0 Win
BOX SCORE
ASHLAND, Ore. – Southern Oregon University opened the 2011 soccer season in dominant fashion with a 3-0 victory over visiting Simpson Tuesday afternoon at University Field.
The Raiders improve to 1-0 on the season after preventing the Red Hawks from attempting a single shot in the contest. Simpson falls to 0-1 after its first match of the season.
“It was a good start to the regular season,” SOU head coach Jon Clement said. “We were really pleased with our attacking shape and our ability to hold the ball and keep possession.”
Alexis Mahoney opened the scoring for the Raiders in the 17th minute, charging in the right side and taking a deflection off the diving goalkeeper Jessica Rickli into the box for the goal. The Raiders would add one more before halftime when Sydney Paulsen passed to Kennedy Roteman for a shot from 10 yards out in the 42nd minute.
Southern Oregon entered the half with a 19-0 advantage in the shot column and finished the game with a 39-0 advantage. Maddy Scott scored the Raiders’ final goal early in the second period, heading the ball in from 10 yards off a pass from Kennedy Roteman.
“I really liked the fact that we took so many opportunities on goal,” Clement said, “but as important was that our counter defending was very good. We were always back in numbers, around the ball early enough to quell out attacks before they got dangerous.”
The Raiders also shut the Red Hawks out in corner kicks, with SOU tallying seven in the contest. Sixteen of the Raiders’ 39 shots went on goal, with 18 different players contributing at least one shot as every active player on the roster saw time on the field.
“The relationships on the field were very good,” Clement said. “It’s nice to get the entire roster in the game. This is a team built on synergy and having a great number of interchangeable parts, so getting them all game minutes will be crucial as we go along.”
Senior goalkeeper Jessica Kuehlwein played the first 76:09 of the match before coming out for Kelsey Clement to come in and earn a share of the shutout win. Mahoney’s three shots on goal led the team, while Roteman picked up a goal and an assist in the contest.
Southern Oregon returns to action Saturday, when the Raiders visit Chico State for an exhibition scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.