The University of North Alabama’s women’s soccer team guaranteed a victory against the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders, 2-1, but fell to Southern Illinois University, 1-3, and Belmont University, 0-1.
The Lions arrived in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Aug. 29 with the aching desire to avenge their prior performance at the University of Alabama, where the Crimson Tide had them at 1-3.
At Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium, the Blue Raiders started the first half off strong, with Lexi Dendis scoring the first goal of the match in minute ten, taking the lead at 0-1.
MTSU took a chance to increase its score advantage when Emma Pettersen suffered a foul. Dendis took the free kick. She directed it to the bottom left of UNA’s goal, but goalkeeper Allanah Blye, a junior from S.C., saved it.
The Lions could not end the period without scoring.
With almost five minutes to go, assisted by Kellie Hovis, Molly Parham, junior midfielder, equaled the score with a goal MTSU’s goalkeeper Demi Gronauer could not hold.
The second period soon brought UNA to attempt 3 in-sequence shots.
The first, a bottom-right shot by Gizelle El Assal, was caught by Gronauer. The second, made possible by a corner kick, was another bottom right, but by Olivia Heinert, which was also saved.
Believing in the luck of the third try, Anna Fugarino, a freshman midfielder who only played sixteen minutes, scored UNA’s second and victorious goal, assisted by Emma Armstrong and Haley Patterson.
The Blue Raiders attempted a few substitutions to gain the game’s lead again but were unsuccessful.
The final ten minutes were heated and marked by fouls. MTSU’s Lauren Spaanstra and Sadie Sterbenz received yellow cards, as did UNA’s Parham.
Haley Patterson led the team with two shots on goal, while Parham led with three shots.
The Lions led the game in goals 2-1, shots on goal 7-5, and corner kicks 6-5, while the Blue Raiders led in saves 5-4.
On Sep. 5, UNA dropped the fifth match of the season to the Southern Illinois Salukis in Carbondale.
Within the first two minutes, SIU quickly opened the score with a goal by Sophia Schlicklin. Three minutes later, UNA tied when Haley Patterson, a senior forward from Madison, scored, assisted by Adelyn Speight. Unfortunately, this was the Lions’ only shot on goal throughout the match.
Soon after the thirty-minute mark, the Salukis regained the advantage when an assist by Dana Cruz gave Maycie Massingill a goal opportunity, 1-2.
Within ten minutes of the second period, SIU’s Schlicklin scored her second goal of the match after a corner kick, stating the final score as 1-3 for the Lions.
SIU led in shots on goal 5-1, while UNA led in corner kicks 5-3.
On Sep. 8, UNA played their second home match, sixth seasonal, against the Belmont Bruins.
Soon after the thirty-minute mark, Belmont’s freshman midfielder Ava Lobocki scored the first and only goal of the match, assisted by her teammate Kennedy Bernsen, a sophomore defender.
UNA led by an impressive amount of 15-4 shots, being 6-2 on goal, which marked the match as the first loss with ten or more shots, with five or more being on goal this season.
Lions sophomore defender Gracie Tyrrel led the team with her three shots, conquering a season-high individual record.
On Friday, Sep. 13, UNA will face the Alabama State University Hornets at the ASU Soccer Complex in Montgomery.
