| Freshman Taylor Padia recorded a match-high two assists on Friday. |
NACOGDOCHES ?The UTSA soccer team scored three unanswered goals in the second half to hand Stephen F. Austin its first Southland Conference loss with a 3-1 win Friday night.
“This was a great road win for us against one of the top teams of the conference,” head coach Steve Ballard said. “Our girls really earned this victory because they played well. In the first half we out shot SFA but weren’t able to get it in the net. I told them to keep playing and shooting because sooner or later the goals were going to come. Again, this was a nice win tonight and we just need to continue taking it one match at time.”
The Ladyjacks (6-6, 3-1 SLC) struck first when Amanda Alders beat freshman goalkeeper Nicoline Joergensen for the first goal of the night at the 9-minute mark of the first half.
However, freshman Erin Mackay put UTSA (6-9, 3-2 SLC) on the board in the 46th minute. Junior Celeste Carruth passed the ball Mackay, who was able send it in from 10 yards out to the tie match.
The Roadrunners then took a 2-1 advantage on junior Kasi Hebert’s first goal of the season at the 69-minute mark. Three minutes later, junior Kim Gonzales chased down a long ball towards the far right corner and then crossed it to freshman Taylor Padia, who flicked it back to Gonzales for the header that gave UTSA a 3-1 cushion.
Sophomore Allison Dillon recorded a match-high five shots, while Padia tallied a match-best two assists on the night. Joergensen collected eight saves on 18 shot attempts and allowed one goal.
UTSA concludes its two-match road trip at Sam Houston State on Sunday. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.