CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi soccer team ended its nonconference schedule with a defeat on Sunday afternoon, attempting a comeback after falling behind early but getting taken down by UTEP by a final score of 2-1.
In their return back to the Dr. Jack Dugan Family Soccer & Track Stadium, the Islanders (3-3-2) had to play catch-up almost right away, surrendering the first goal of the match to the Miners (6-0-2) in the ninth minute after they themselves got an opportunity on a
Katie Porter shot that was saved just a little earlier. Porter again had a try at net for the hosts that was saved by keeper Savanah Finley after this score, and after they narrowly missed the equalizer, UTEP took its own opportunity on the other end and turned it into the second goal of the day in the 24
th minute.
Now trailing by a count of 2-0, A&M-Corpus Christi quickly flipped the script less than a minute after the restart, getting itself on the board thanks to a very unlikely source. After earning themselves a corner kick,
Emmie Barton stepped up for the try for the Islanders, and in her first match as the primary taker, she sent a ball in that made its way into the back of the net without being touched for an incredible Olimpico goal that cut the deficit down to one. For Barton, this marked the first goal of her four-year career on the Island on Senior Day, getting on the board in her 65
th collegiate match after more than 4400 minutes on the field.
Barton's goal seemed to energize the Islanders on offense, as in the waning moments of the first half they turned up the aggression and earned four corner kicks in quick succession and got a try from
Averi Scruggs that nearly leveled the score. They were not able to cash in on any of these chances, however, which brought them into the locker room still chasing one as a result.
Out of the break, A&M-Corpus Christi's best shot came at the beginning of the half, drawing a yellow card after less than two minutes and then getting a shot from
Cilia Leal Cardona that missed wide not long after. Following this, however, the team could not find as much of a groove on its attack, getting just one more corner kick the rest of the way and failing to find the second goal it needed to walk away with a point.
At the end of the day, the Islanders were led by a pair of seniors in Barton and Porter, with the latter getting them on the board with her fantastic goal and the latter nearly doing so two separate times herself. In the net, another senior in
Jessie Spurrell also had a nice response after the two early goals from the Miners, tallying four saves while not conceding over the final 76 minutes of the match.
The Islanders will now get the most important part of their schedule rolling in the upcoming week, starting off Southland Conference play with a road matchup at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday at 7 p.m.
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