UCA tops ASU in soccer

UCA tops ASU in soccer

Special to The Times JONESBORO, Ark.– The Arkansas State women’s soccer team battled Central Arkansas to a scoreless tie for 103 minutes, but the Bears’ Alex Moore capitalized on a rebound opportunity in front of the net to down the Red Wolves 1-0 Thursday afternoon at the A-State Soccer Park.

Moore’s goal was setup by a chaotic situation in front of the net when Dayna Mournie took a shot from close range that hit the crossbar and bounced in front A-State goalkeeper Kelsey Ponder who tried to collect the rebound, but failed to reach the ball before Shelby Wilson was able to pass to Moore for the golden goal opportunity.

“We’ve got to do a better job of keeping the ball and controlling possession and keeping the game where want it to be,” A-State head coach Brian Dooley said. “The first 15 to 20 minutes was probably the best we have played all year. We had several chances to score, but then they started to find gaps in our shape and took advantage of some mistakes that made us chase them.”

A-State (1-1-2) controlled possession for much of the first 15 minutes of the contest with a couple of shots by Tayler Carter and Abby Harris just missing the mark within a few minutes of kickoff. Carter had another good attempt, set up by a throw-in from Harris, from inside the box a little over eight minutes in, but the shot sailed just high over the UCA (3-2-0) goal.

Katherine Padgett was set up nicely in an effort by Arianna Delli Carpini with a little over 32 minutes remaining in the first half, but the shot went wide. However, A-State didn’t have many good looks the rest of the half, but Central Arkansas had several including an attempt that Padgett blocked when keeper Kelsey Ponder went to the ground in the 20th minute. Ponder made four saves in the first frame with a nice punch over the net on a long chip shot by the Bears.

UCA had eight corner kicks to A-State’s one in the first half and the trend continued into the second half when Central Arkansas had two more before the 60th minute. However, the AState defense remained strong and didn’t allow a real scoring opportunity on either one. The Bears had an attempt in the 71st minute that bounced high in the box, but a leap by Ponder allowed her to grab the ball and keep the game scoreless.

A-State will take to the road, Sunday Sept. 4 for a non-conference matchup at Murray State. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

For the latest on information on the A-State women’s soccer team, visit them online at AStateRedWolves.com or follow the team’s Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

By ASU Media Relations