CORPUS CHRISTI – Jacey Love and Yvette Franco each scored as the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's soccer team earned a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over second-place Abilene Christian on Friday at Dugan Stadium.
The Islanders improved to 4-5-3 overall and 3-3-1 in Southland Conference play to inch closer to the sixth and final spot in the league championship. ACU fell to 7-8-1 and 4-3-1 in the league with the defeat. Megan Delaney made seven saves in the victory for A&M-Corpus Christi, while Kelsey Dombrowski made three saves for the Wildcats.
"We stayed the course the entire game today, and I'm really excited for the team," head coach Shanna Caldwell said. "Yvette got us back even with her goal and the team stuck together until the end. ACU is a very solid team and work well together. This was a great win for the program.
"On the second goal, [Alyssa] Miller did well to create havoc in the box and put pressure on them, and Jacey finished another corner kick opportunity," she added. "Everyone did a fantastic job tonight. Kally [Redona] was huge in the middle and Nanna [Poulsen] provided a spark up top. It's one game at a time from here on out – we just have to stay focused."
Abilene Christian struck first with a well-placed ball from distance off the foot of Lindsey Jones in the sixth minute. Jones delivered a throw-in to the foot of Emily Sumrall along the right sideline. Sumrall played it back to Jones, and the junior sent a high, arcing ball toward the box that carried over the head of Delaney, off the left post and into the back of the net at 5:08 to make it 1-0 in favor of the visitors.
But the Islanders held off the Wildcats, and slowly began to turn the momentum. Then in the 30th, it was a brilliant effort by Franco that tied the contest. Nanna Poulsen played the ball to Franco near the middle of the field 25 yards out. Franco then crossed over her defender three times, working her way into the box, then bending a right-footed shot over Dombrowski and into the back of the net at 29:13.
The score carried over into the second half, as the Wildcats held a slight edge in shots, 7-5 in the frame, with Delaney making four saves in the period.
Play was even out of the locker room, but the Islanders delivered the game-winning blow off a set piece. Zoe Cole took a corner from the right side, and it carried to Jessica Berdan at the top of the 18. She flicked a header to Alyssa Miller on the doorstep, and the ball found its way to the foot of Love, who quickly deposited it into the back of the net to send her teammates into a frenzy, making the score 2-1 at 57:39.
The Islanders controlled play for much of the rest of the game, but Abilene Christian narrowly missed on a tremendous chance in the 82nd. Baylee Mitchell lofted a brilliant ball into the box, and Sarah Schoch unleashed a header unmarked. But the ball sailed just high of the goal and the Islanders remained ahead by one. From there, A&M-Corpus Christi was able to hold on for the crucial victory.
The Islanders will return to the pitch on Friday, Oct. 24, when they play host to Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. at Dugan Stadium. For all the latest on Islanders Soccer, be sure to follow the team on Twitter and Instagram (@IslandersSoccer) and like the official Facebook page (Islanders Soccer).
