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| Photo by Kyle Mazabob |
CORPUS CHRISTI – Yvette Franco scored her fifth goal of the season, but HBU broke a tie game with a goal in the 71st minute to defeat the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi soccer team 2-1 on Sunday at the Dugan Family Soccer and Track Stadium.
The Huskies (7-6-3, 6-1-2 Southland) stayed in step with second-place Sam Houston State to remain just one point behind the Bearkats after the victory. The Islanders (4-7-3, 3-5-1) were leapfrogged for the sixth and final spot in the Conference Tournament by Nicholls, as the Colonels improved to 4-5-0 in conference play on the strength of a 2-0 victory over Central Arkansas on Sunday.
"Games like today are tough," head coach Shanna Caldwell said. "HBU got the job done finishing their chances. We were in the flow and playing well when HBU scored off a turnover. I think it took us a bit to gather ourselves and regroup. Once we did, we had several opportunities right to the end and just came up short.
"We have one weekend left to give it our all and see what we can create," she added.
The Huskies struck first with a goal in the 19th minute. Off a goal kick, Blake Martin headed the ball forward in the middle of the field to Natalie Hager. Hager spun toward goal and beat her defender to move in alone on keeper Megan Delaney. She sent a shot high to the left side and into the back of the net to make it 1-0 in favor of the visitors at 18:25.
But the Islanders absorbed that blow and took control of possession in the latter stages of the first half. In the 45th minute, they finally broke through, with Franco netting her fifth goal of the season. Hailey Sutton played a nice ball forward to Bri Lugo in the middle of the field. Lugo dribbled into space and sent a ball low to the right side of the 18. Franco streaked past the defense and chipped a ball past the keeper and into the left side of the net to tie the score at 1-1 at the 44:20 mark.
A&M-Corpus Christi had a number of strong chances early in the second half, the best of which came on the back end of a corner that found its way to the foot of Alyssa Miller. Miller's attempt went off the keeper's hand, into the post, then deflected up in the air, glancing the top of the crossbar before heading out of bounds. That attempt came during a stretch where the Islanders earned three consecutive corners.
But shortly thereafter, HBU posted the game winner on the foot of Rebekah Tovar. Ellee Hall did the bulk of the work on the goal, winning a 50/50 ball near midfield and dribbling forward to the right edge of the box. She then sent a low cross in front of the goal mouth, and Tovar redirected it into the back of the net from point-blank range at 70:29 to make it a 2-1 score.
The Islanders had several strong chances in the closing minutes, but HBU's defense came up big on two occasions. Becca Chance saw an opportunity go just wide after fighting to get a half step ahead of her defender and narrowly missing the frame. Later, Franco had another opportunity, but her shot in the box was deflected by the Huskies, and the Islanders saw themselves on the wrong end of a 2-1 score for the second game in a row.
Patty Walrath made three saves to earn the win for HBU, while Delaney turned aside two shots in a losing effort for the Islanders.
Prior to the game, the Islanders paid homage to their senior class, playing their final home games in an Islanders uniform. Sara Chandlee, Miller, Aulona Velaj and practice player Elliot Brooks were all recognized for their contributions to the Islanders Soccer program.
A&M-Corpus Christi will wrap up its regular season next weekend on the road, as they head to Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State in search of a berth in the Southland Conference Tournament. For all the latest information on the team, be sure to follow them on Twitter and Instagram (@IslandersSoccer) and like the official Facebook page (Islanders Soccer).
