SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi provided the most dominating performance of their season in Friday's 2-0 victory at Incarnate Word. The Islanders were in control from start to finish, recording seven shots on goal to UIW's three.
The Blue and Green's 11 attempts on frame and seven overall shots on goal are both team-highs for the season, while scoring a multiple goals for the third time this year. Having just returned from injury, starting goalkeeper
Abbie Flax was largely untested through the night, save a diving stop made in the opening seven minutes. The junior transfer finished the night with three saves, for her first clean sheet since coming to the Island this offseason. She joins teammate
Jordan Wainwright as one of just four Islanders to record a shutout over the years, and currently holds a team-high 17 saves in 2017.
After the opening 40 minutes of Friday's match going scoreless, freshman
Katie Lawrence would be the night's catalyst with a PK tally in the 42nd minute. Lawrence and company earned the penalty after a run from forward
Emily Keoughan forced the Cardinals' keeper to leave her line and trip the sprinting striker inside the left-hand side of the 18. Lawrence pocketed the spot kick with the appearance of a seasoned veteran, driving it into the bottom left corner before the opposing goalie could even react.Â
The Blue and Green took a lead into the break, but wouldn't let the lone goal advantage lie still, as HC
Craig Shaw's squad came out firing in the second. The Islanders earned two corners and threw two shots on net in the beginning 10 minutes of half number two, eventually increasing their lead in the 61st minute. Keoughan would again play a part with a well timed cross into the box for fellow freshman
Addison Urbanus to finish. The helper was the first of Keoughan's career, while Urbanus' score makes her the third Corpus Christi freshman to hit the back of the net this year.
The Cardinals would commit to the attack in the latter 25 minutes of the affair, keeping just three true defenders on the backline, in response to the home team's 2-0 deficit. The Blue and Green would continue to mount their own offensive however, and would go on to outshoot UIW 7-3 in the second half alone. The Islanders pressure would ultimately be too much for the Cardinals, as they were forced to take their fourth loss of the season in-hand.
- The Islanders are on a three-match winning streak against UIW, they haven't lost to the Cardinals since their inaugural 2013 season
- Corpus Christi is an impressive 5-1-1 when scoring two goals over the past two years
- Freshman midfielder Celia Hilsabeck enjoyed her first start as an Islander on Friday, playing 19 minutes over the course of the night
- Katie Lawrence's goal proved to be the game-winner, the second of her career. She's now tied with Brooke Erdmann for second in program history regarding that category
- Lawrence also took a personal-high three shots against UIW, all of which hit target. No other Islander has put three shots on goal this season, and she is the first to take a PK for the Blue and Green in 2017
- The Islanders are now undefeated in their previous three contests, tying the school's longest streak all-time. Their three wins put them within a pair of tying a program season-best, as the side opened conference play with a win for the first time in history
- Corpus Christi is 2-0 against programs from San Antonio this year, beating UTSA 2-1 just one week prior
COMING UP NEXT
After a day's break, the Islanders will head to Prairie View, Texas for a faceoff with in-state rival PVAMU. It will be the club's first competition against the Panthers, and is set for a mid-afternoon 1 p.m. kickoff.
STAY SOCIAL
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@IslandersSoccer), Instagram (
@IslandersSoccer) and like their Facebook page (
Islanders Soccer).
- Go Islanders -
