HAMMOND, La. – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi soccer team could not find the equalizing goal that they needed in their match against Southeastern on Sunday afternoon, falling by a final score of 1-0 after a late flurry of opportunities to level the score proved to be unsuccessful.
The Islanders (2-6-3, 0-2-1 SLC) found themselves behind the eight ball very quickly in Sunday's match, just missing a goal in the eighth minute on a shot by junior
Ashley Wilson that was saved and then falling in the hole after surrendering a penalty kick in the 11
th minute that the Lady Lions (3-4-3, 2-0-1 SLC) were able to put home to open the scoring. Southeastern would control the run of play after this, but the visitors were able to keep the deficit to one thanks in part to sophomore goalkeeper
Jessie Spurrell, who made a big save on a shot on target in the 26
th minute in what was her first start with the team.
A&M-Corpus Christi would change its formation coming out of the break, a decision that nearly paid off almost immediately when senior
Mai-Lisa Atis narrowly missed a shot in front of goal less than a minute into the second half and sophomore
Vanessa Wimbish hit the right post with a try just two minutes later. The Islanders would continue to live in the Lady Lions' half of the field after these two chances, but this momentum would grind to a halt when freshman
Sille Bach Vesterholm was handed her second yellow card of the game in the 69
th minute, forcing the team to play a man down the rest of the afternoon. Southeastern almost capitalized on this right away as well, putting a goal in the back of the net off the ensuing free kick that was brought back on an offsides call and getting another good chance right after that was saved by Spurrell.
Even despite the disadvantage, the Islanders put together a spirited effort over the final 10 minutes of the match, launching an all-out assault on Southeastern's net in an attempt to get the goal that had been eluding them all afternoon. The two best opportunities would come in quick succession, first on a shot by
Madison Page that hit the crossbar in the 80
th minute and then another by Wilson that also struck the woodwork a minute later. Atis would follow this up with a shot on goal at the 84-minute mark that was sent back by the keeper, and in the ensuing scrum near the net, junior
Emmie Barton got a foot on the ball and offered up a try that went out just to the right of the net. Finally, junior
Dakota Merino launched her own last-gasp effort in the final minute, taking a shot that nearly found the net but made its way out to the right, which proved to be the last time that A&M-Corpus Christi would possess the ball.
"I'm really proud of the group," Islanders head coach
Daniel Clitnovici said after the match. "Their resilience during the challenges that they were faced with was inspiring. We came into a tough environment against a good opponent and controlled much of the game from start to finish. Even when we went down to 10 players, we still played on the front foot and created many goalscoring opportunities, but unfortunately none found the back of the net."
The second half flurry helped the Islanders even things up in the stat sheet, as they attempted eight total shots as opposed to nine from the Lady Lions while taking five corner kicks, four of which came in the final 12 minutes. Wilson and Atis paced the team with two shots apiece, while Barton, Wimbish, Merino and Page each followed with one each. Spurrell also put together a nice effort in her season debut in net, making a pair of nice saves while not allowing a goal from open play.
"They left it all out there, and that's all I can ask for as a coach," Clitnovici said. "We have to continue to stay the course, learn from our mistakes and focus on the growth in the direction we are aiming for."
The Islanders will now return home looking to turn their fortunes around, getting back in action on Thursday at 7 p.m. against Lamar in a rematch of the first round of last year's Southland Conference Championship.
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