Box Score Corpus Christi, Texas – After falling behind 1-0 in the second half to Southeastern Louisiana on a penalty kick, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's soccer team (1-8-2, 1-3-1) responded with goals from Hailey Sutton and Tatum Printy to lift the Islanders to their first win of the season on Sunday at the Dugan Soccer Stadium.
"I think this was the best game that we've played this season," head coach Shanna Caldwell. "We stuck to our game plan and took advantage of the space when we had it. We remained focused throughout the game and eliminated costly mistakes that have plagued us in previous matches. Instead, we made several key defensive stands and transitioned them into counter attacks. It was a quality win for our program and something we can build upon as we go into the remainder of the season."
After a scoreless first half, the Lady Lions were awarded a penalty kick for a foul in the box six minutes into the second half. Southeastern Louisiana leading scorer Gisenia Utreras converted the spot kick just inside the right post.
The Islanders responded five minutes later with a goal to level the match. Sutton collected a superb pass from Jessica Berdan in the attacking half and dribbled past two Lady Lions defenders. The junior took a shot from the top of the box that curled around the hopeless dive of Southeastern Louisiana keeper Hope Sabadash.
In the 75th minute, Brooke Erdmann made an attacking run from her left-back position. The Deer Park, Texas, native beat two defenders and took a shot from distance that forced Sabadash deflected the ball over the bar for a corner.
Cordero placed her ensuing corner kick in the six-yard box, where Tatum Printy produced an unstoppable header to score her first career goal and give the Islanders a 2-1 advantage.
In an attempt to avoid their second consecutive defeat, Southeastern Louisiana sent players forward in the dying minutes of the match to score an equalizer. Jacey Love and Meghan Cordero commanded the Islanders backline and eliminated any threat on goal with two blocked shots in the final ten minutes.
A&M-Corpus Christi conceded a corner with less than a minute to play in regulation. Islanders goalkeeper Megan Delaney managed to tip the initial cross out of the path of an incoming forward. The ball fell to Utreras on the back post, but Delaney made two crucial saves from close range to preserve the victory for the Islanders.
Final Stats
With her goal, Sutton now leads the team in scoring with three goals. In addition to her goal against Nicholls on Friday, the junior jumped to the top points category this season with seven.
Delaney finished the match with eight saves, including five in the second half. The Las Vegas native improved her saves per game tally to seven after both games this weekend.
What's Next?
The Islanders will wrap up their three-game homestand next weekend, as the University of the Incarnate Word comes to the Coastal Bend on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Cardinals are 1-3-1 in conference this season after losing 2-0 on Friday to Central Arkansas and finishing 0-0 with Northwestern State following two overtime periods.
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