CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi soccer team got back on track in its match on Thursday evening, using an early offensive explosion to down Lamar at home by a final score of 3-1.
The day started off on a less-than-ideal note for the Islanders (3-6-3, 1-2-1 SLC), as they surrendered the first goal of the match to the Cardinals (4-5-3, 1-1-2 SLC) just 23 seconds into the night on a long range shot from outside the penalty box. They would come back with their own answer immediately after, however, as sophomore
Vanessa Wimbish responded by sending her own try from deep just off the bottom of the crossbar and down across the line to bring the score back level at 1-1 after just five minutes of play.
This goal would be the precursor of things to come in the first half for A&M-Corpus Christi, with the team putting in the go-ahead goal in the 22
nd minute after freshman
MyJoi Anderson received a ball on the right side of the box and sent a cross in to redshirt senior
Madison Page, who finished with a nice right-footed shot past the keeper that made it a 2-1 game. Less than four minutes later, the Islanders would jump back on the board once again, scoring off a corner kick by junior
Ashley Wilson that found the head of junior
Dakota Merino for her third career goal and her first on the Island.
This outburst brought the Islanders' advantage up to two, where it would stay through the break and into the second half before the Cardinals jumped back on the board in the 58
th minute on a goal that came via a free kick from just outside the box that found the back of the net. The hosts almost answered back right after this in similar fashion to the beginning of the match after earning a corner kick two minutes later, but a pair of shots by junior
Katie Porter were blocked in the ensuing scrum, keeping the score at 3-2.
The pivotal point in the match came with just a few minutes left on the clock, when Islanders keeper
Jessie Spurrell committed a foul while trying to make a save in the box, earning a red card and setting Lamar up with a penalty kick with the chance to tie things back up. Redshirt senior
Hayven Harrison entered for the try, but she didn't even need to get a hand on the ball, as the Cardinals' Lauren Smith sent her shot over the crossbar and out of harm's way. A&M-Corpus Christi held firm in the final stretch after this despite playing a man down, bringing the evening to its conclusion and securing its first win of conference play.
After coming so close in their last few matches, the Islanders finally broke through on offense in front of a season-best crowd of 949 people, outshooting Lamar 8-7 while putting four on goal and earning four corner kicks and surrendering none. The goals by Wimbish and Merino each marked their first of the season, and Page's was her third, moving her into a tie with sophomore
Cilia Leal for the team lead while also surpassing Leal in points with her seventh and eighth. Wimbish and Page's goals were both assisted by Anderson, who became the first Islander to record multiple assists in a match this season, and Merino's was aided by Wilson's first assist of the year and fifth of her career. In the shots department, senior
Mai-Lisa Atis led the way with two while also putting one on goal, keeping her near the top of the conference leaderboard in the latter category.
The Islanders will now try to keep the momentum rolling into another conference matchup on Sunday, remaining at home to host East Texas A&M on Sunday at 12 p.m.
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