Cavs Tie No. 6 Mobile after Keeper Sees Red
BOX SCORE -
Concordia vs. Mobile
MOBILE, Ala.--Down a player for both overtime periods, the No. 1-ranked Concordia women's soccer team held on for a 1-1 tie against No. 6-ranked Mobile on Friday night at the Orange Beach Sports Complex.
Playing in its first match since being dubbed the No. 1-ranked team in the NAIA according to the most recent coaches' poll, Concordia was forced to play the final three minutes of regulation and all 20 minutes of the two overtime periods with 10 players on the field as starting keeper Tori Talbutt was issued a red card in the 88th minute of play.
With the score knotted at 1-all, Talbutt charged forward on a Mobile breakaway; crashing into Ram forward Christy Lachappelle, preserving the tie and earning the dismissal. True freshman Nicole Franklin, making her second career collegiate appearance, came up with a pair of spectacular saves in the extra sessions to finish out the contest.
"We came down here to put our team in a challenging positon on the road," CU head coach Grant Landy said. "I'm really proud how we handled the adversity. I learned a lot about our team in those last 30 minutes.
Despite being down a player, the Cavaliers maintained pressure on the acting 'home' team from just 55 miles northwest of the facility that will house the 2012 NAIA National Championships in December, outshooting the Rams 3-to-2 over the final two sessions.
Early on with a full set of players, Concordia didn't look like a team playing roughly 2,720 miles from home as the Cavaliers dominated possession for long spurts of the first half; generating a 9-to-2 shot advantage and a 5-to-0 edge in corner kicks.
Concordia, the returning national runner-up, got on the board late in the opening period as sophomore forward Alex Blalock found the side of the net in the 39th minute. Freshman Alicia Alarcon-Evans set up the play on the left flank following a throw-in by Kellie Skofstad. After regaining possession, Alarcon-Evans managed a flik to Blalock, who then strided past the Mobile defense and into the 18-yard box; delivering a low drive into the near post.
The Cavs kept the rams scoreless until a fatefull corner in the 72nd minute of the game. An inswinger hit by Lachappelle from the left side found an open Bethan Morgans on the far post to equalize the score at 1-1.
Overall, the Cavs outshot the Rams 15-to-9 and created 10 corner kicks compared to just two for the opposition. A total of 30 fouls were called in the contest, 17 against the Cavs, while 4 yellow cards were handed out in addition to the red card.
The Cavaliers will return to take the field against No. 16-ranked William Carey (Miss.) on Saturday. The Orange Beach Sports Complex is the final site for the 2012 NAIA National Championships after three seasons spent housed in northern Alabama.
In simultaneous action at the complex, William Carey defeated No. 5-ranked Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 3-2 and will carry a 2-0-1 overall record heading into the match against the Cavaliers.
"They (William Carey) got a great result today," Landy said. "I think its going to be a good game. We played a good game today. The only thing we didnt do was get that second goal. Good teams like William Carey and Mobile, when you got a team on the ropes, you have to to put distance on them or else they are going to capitalize. That's what happened today and that is what we will try to correct tomorrow."