» By Kyle King
The Lady Govs soccer team went on the road twice this past week. The Govs were coming off a loss in their first OVC game against Murray State and were looking to respond against conference foes UT-Martin and Southeast Missouri.
On Friday, Sept. 28, UT-Martin got the better of APSU.
The opening half was tightly contested, with both squads getting multiple chances on the net. The Lady Govs forced UT-Martin keeper, Mariah Klenke, to make four first-half saves, while Haylee Shoaff made three saves for the Lady Govs in the opening half.
The Skyhawks broke through early in the second half when Alyssa Curtis headed in a Hannah McGowen cross in the 56th minute, but the Lady Govs would answer just two minutes later.
Off a deflected save, Tatiana Ariza became the Lady Govs all-time leader in goals scored, getting the ball past Klenke for her 31st career goal, which passed Ashley Beck for most all-time.
The Skyhawks netted the winning goal with less than seven minutes left in the match. Curtis collected a Shoaff save and found Saphyr Coombs-James about five yards out from the net for the goal.
On Sunday, Sept. 30, the Lady Govs bounced back, recording their first Ohio Valley Conference win of the season. After a back-and-forth first half Friday night against UT-Martin, the Lady Govs controlled the pace for much of the first half against Southeast Missouri.
The Lady Govs outshot the Redhawks 7-5, putting five shots on net in the opening half. The Lady Govs got on the board in the 60th minute when senior Emily Perkins beat Redhawks keeper Renee Kertz to a Morgan Zigelsky pass and slid it into the back of the net.
Junior Haylee Shoaff made six saves in her season’s first shutout, including three that preserved the Lady Govs lead. Kertz made eight saves for Southeast Missouri.
The loss against the Skyhawks and the win against the Redhawks bring the Lady Govs record to 5-7, 1-2 in OVC.
The Lady Govs next match will be at home against Belmont on Sunday, Oct. 7. They will travel to Eastern Illinois on Friday, Oct. 12 and to Edwardsville Sunday, Oct. 14.
