Battling demons at home

The UTRGV Women’s Soccer Team lost 0-2 against Northwestern State University today at the Soccer and Track & Field Complex on the Edinburg campus.

Acting head coach Audra Larson said the team had really good moments today.

“We had some opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net; unfortunately it just didn’t go our way,” Larson said. “There is a lot that we can learn from this game. For us, it’s going to be about ‘Hey, we got to bounce back.’”

The first half of the game was tame for the most part as both teams ping-ponged the ball between both sides of the pitch. The pace remained slow though the pressure was definitely felt for both the Vaqueros and the Demons.

Junior midfielder Olivia Smith marked the first shot of the night for the Vaqueros but was unsuccessful at marking it as a shot on goal after the ball passed the goal post.

Then, graduate defender Abbie Bailey was able to get in-between a battle between Smith and Demons senior forward Paige Baumgartner.

Baumgartner continued with her attack but was stopped with a clean side tackle from sophomore defender Erika Parker.

After entering the pitch with a little over 25 minutes left on the clock, Vaqueros sophomore midfielder Rubi Ortiz intensified the pressure on senior goalkeeper Kennedy Rist but fell short, sending the ball over the net.

With 10 minutes left on the timer, Vaqueros sophomore goalkeeper Heiddis Sigurdardottir had racked up four saves throughout the game. Rist had only marked one save.

As the first half came to an end, the Vaqueros had accumulated four shots, one shot on goal and one foul. The Demons, on the other hand, had 12 shots, five shots on goal and three fouls.

The second half proceeded just as the first, both teams playing intensely and fighting for the possession of the ball. The Vaqueros quickly took action against the Demons’ offense as they cleared their side of the pitch, preventing the play from advancing further.

Smith then proceeded to gain a yellow card to her name for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Soukou then marked the first goal of the night for the Demons with an assist from junior forward Emily Gundin. Soukou shortly after attempted to up the score but was unsuccessful.

With 25 minutes left on the clock, it seemed like the game was barely starting with both offenses fighting hard, looking for the second goal of the night.

The Demons’ offense was then successful as Baumgartner made an amazing curved shot into the goal, upping the score 2-0.

As the game came to an end, UTRGV totaled eight shots, five on goal and three fouls while Northwestern totaled 21 shots, 10 on goal and 3 fouls.  

Larson said the team needs the confidence to “put those balls away.”

“These girls can do it, they can,” she said. “We just have to continue to fight.”

The Vaqueros will next play against the Southeastern University Lions at 11 a.m. Sunday at home.

About The Author

Daniela Chapa-Reyes

Daniela serves as one of the Sports Reporters for The Rider. She is majoring in Mass Communications and aspires to pursue sports media.

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