Hilltoppers score 12 goals in win over Texas A&M-International
AUSTIN, Texas - The St. Edward's women's soccer team beat up Texas A&M-International as they won Friday afternoon, 12-0, to stay undefeated in Heartland Conference play.
The game had a late start due to a delay in the officials' arrival, but the Hilltoppers (6-2, 3-0 HC) stayed fresh and exploded with energy as soon as the whistle blew. In the first 30 seconds, junior Korre Fairman sprinted down the sideline and lofted a cross ball into the box. With her quick strike into the Dustdevils' defense, Fairman caught them unprepared and her cross snuck in the right corner of the goal for her first goal of the season. Shortly after the goal, the Dustdevils had to adjust to an immediate line-up change as goalie Sarah Salvidar collided with junior Kim Abbott in the fourth minute of the game. Salvidar left the game shaken up and was replaced by Mary Jo Hall, but even this adjustment did not ruffle the Hilltoppers.
Once St. Edward's took the lead less than a minute into the game, the offense continued to press with 19 shots in the first half. In the 13th minute, sophomore Janae Averett crossed the ball into the box to open sophomore Emily Arnold who knocked the ball into the net. The goals did not stop there as three minutes later freshman Jordan Ynostrosa received the ball from senior Aimee Langlinais and scored a one-touch goal. Averett continued to contribute to the action as she added a goal to her assist in the 21st minute to put the Hilltoppers up 4-0.
After a rush of Hilltopper substitutions gave them a brand new offensive line, freshman Kelsey Long played a long pass to junior Stacey Copeland. Copeland then passed a perfect cross into the box to freshman Jordan Mobley, who sent a hard strike into the back of the net in the 30th minute. Copeland then followed in Averett's example and added a goal to her assist in the 38th minute as she out-maneuvered Hall after a long run down the center of the field. Mobley then earned her third goal of the season and second of the game as she headed a cross from freshman Bethany Bennett in the net two minutes after Copeland's strike. To finish off the first half, senior Mallory Roberts scored in the 44th minute after receiving a long pass and making two moves to get past the goalie.
The Hilltoppers' aggressive play in the first half let them grab an 8-0 lead and earn 5 corner kicks. In the second half, the Hilltoppers took advantage of their goal cushion to try different line-ups, including putting freshman Claire Tilton in goal. The players continued to work on their skills as they pushed forward against the Dustdevil defense. In the 47th minute, freshman Brianna Hinnenkamp knocked in her first goal of the season on a ball snuck in the right corner. Fellow freshman Kelly Servage continued the assertive play by the offense with a goal two minutes later as she corralled a loose ball in the box for the score. Senior Brooke Kelly shot a picturesque ball over Hall's reach for another goal in the 64th minute. For the final tally of the match, Servage earned her second goal of the match as she took advantage of a rebound off of Hall's hands and knocked it into the back of the net.
St. Edward's defense made sure to keep on top of TAMIU and shut down any chances as they only allowed 3 shots and Tilton made a leaping save in the 87th minute to preserve the shutout. The Hilltoppers will now ride the momentum of this enormous win into Sunday's game against Incarnate Word. St. Edward's tied with Incarnate Word as the Heartland Conference champions last year when the teams split their games. This time around the Hilltoppers aim to play hard and take control of the conference as kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at the SEU soccer field.