CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Not taking a first goal from Prairie View lightly, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi soccer team responded with authority as a four-goal second-half spearheaded a dominate 5-1 victory Sunday at the Dr. Jack Dugan Family Soccer & Track Stadium.
It extended a day of celebration, as the Islanders (2-2-2) hosted a special Senior Day presentation pregame. The team was able to honor 11 student-athletes before celebrating the senior-class and the win.
"It was a good ending to our senior day, to score several goals in the second half was a really positive thing for us," said head coach
Daniel Clitnovici. "We started slow and went down pretty quickly, but I enjoyed seeing the response from the group the second half."
After Prairie View (1-5) took an early 1-0 lead off a free kick at the 26
th minute, the Islanders were able to knot it up by halftime after freshman
Maddy Howells legged it hard to the right side of the net 10 minutes later. It was a freshmen-filled play as
Lucca Okeley and
Alisa Divano were both credited with an assist on the goal.
Out of the break, the Islanders dominated from there as Howells connected with the net once again in the 52
nd minute to initiate a bombardment of scoring from there. She is the first Islander to score multiple goals in a game since last year's meeting with Prairie View when
Maggie Murray scored a pair. Sophomore
Ashley Wilson was credited with the assist.
The upperclassmen showed out the rest of the way as senior
Morgan Westbury got the next goal with a kick-back right over the goalie at the 64
th minute. Senior
Rachel Loetzer got her second assist of the year on the goal, as did Divano for her second of the game.
Graduate
Molly Arens snuck one in in the 67
th minute off the corner kick where junior
Mai-Lisa Atis chipped it short to Westbury before crossing it to Arens for the 4-1 lead.
The final goal also came off a corner kick from Atis, this time getting it straight to graduate
Olivia Hughes who headed it in for the 5-1 score. It marks Atis's first career game to record two assists.
It is the first time the Islanders scored at least five goals in a game since last year in a 6-0 decision also against Prairie View on Sept. 1. A&M-Corpus Christi improves to 6-1 in the all-time series over the Panthers. The Islanders have won the last three games against Prairie View.
The Islanders will next compete in a pair of matchups against Texas Southern in a home-and-away Sept. 12 and 18
th to close out the nonconference slate. Conference play will begin for the Islanders on Sept. 22 at home against HCU.
"It was a good win for our program as we finish up nonconference play this coming week," said Clitnovici.
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