CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi soccer team was not able to get back in the win column on Sunday afternoon, falling in an early hole and getting taken down by Stephen F. Austin by a final score of 3-1.
The Islanders (3-8-4, 1-4-2 SLC) found themselves having to play from a deficit quickly, with the Lumberjacks (5-3-8, 3-1-3 SLC) jumping on the board in the first minute and then again at the 15-minute mark to go ahead 2-0. A&M-Corpus Christi would answer back soon after the second SFA goal, however, getting one of their own in the 21
st minute when after junior
Dakota Merino sent a long pass into the box, freshman
MyJoi Anderson found the ball at her right foot and poked it just past keeper Sierra McCluer into the back of the net to cut the deficit to one. This was Anderson's second goal in the past three matches and her sixth point in the last four, moving her into a tie for first on the team this season in both categories with redshirt senior
Madison Page.
Needing just one score to bring things back level once again, the Islanders had a few promising chances both at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, the former of which came on a pair of shots from junior
Vanessa Wimbish and the latter on a nice run by Page that ended with a try that was saved by McCluer. None of these were able to equalize the score though, and soon after, the hosts' deficit would double, as SFA once again found paydirt in the 56
th minute after a save by keeper
Jessie Spurrell was redirected right to the foot of the Lumberjacks' Taylor Dodson right in front of the net.
The Islanders would still fight to jump back into the game after this goal, putting pressure on the SFA defense as the clock wound down. In the 73
rd minute, Page sent a firm one-timer at McCluer for a save, and with four minutes left to go, junior
Ashley Wilson took an attempt from distance that the keeper had to punch over the bar to keep it from becoming a one-goal game once again. Finally, Page got another shot in a scrum in front of the net, which proved to be A&M-Corpus Christi's final one of the afternoon.
By the time the day was done, the Islanders had managed to take 14 shots in total and put six on goal while attempting five corner kicks. Page led the way individually with four, three of which were on goal, and she was joined with multiple by Wimbish with three and Anderson and senior
Mai-Lisa Atis with two apiece. In net, Spurrell set a new career-high in saves with seven, doing so in her sixth-ever match.
The Islanders will now hit the road for an important game next Sunday at 11:00 a.m., heading to Edinburg to take on UTRGV in the South Texas Showdown, Presented by Rally Credit Union.
#ShakasUp
