DENTON, Texas (September 6, 2010) - After
falling behind 1-0 in the fourth minute of play, the
thirteenth-ranked Tars turned up the heat and came back to pull out
a 2-1 victory over Texas Woman's University on Monday afternoon at
the TW Soccer Field. Rollins advances to 1-1 on their young
season, while the Pioneers drop to an overall mark of 0-2.
Rollins felt the sting early after Emily Davila put TWU on the
scoreboard first, finding a cross from Rebekah Ledet and volleying
it past Tars' freshman keeper Shelby Kesic.
"Giving up a goal so early on their first shot of the game was
disappointing," said head coach Patrick Baker. "But the players
got together, re-grouped and started to imprint the game a bit
more. Seniors Chelsea Brady and Jessica Deese did a nice job up
top at the beginning, and Ali Schrader made an immediate impact
when she entered the game."
After almost 30 minutes of action, Schrader found the equalizer,
finding a cross from Brady for a one-touch shot past TWU goalkeeper
Nori Morgan to turn up the heat. Schrader made things happen ten
minutes later, capitalizing on a deflected cross to tap the ball
easily into the left side to earn the game-winner in the
43rd minute.
"The goals were a total team effort," Schrader pointed out. "I
couldn't have had those open opportunities if it weren't for the
passes we were connecting. Finally getting some goals this weekend
definitely upped the momentum and helped the energy level of the
entire team."
Rollins took the initial minutes to find their stride, but
kicked things into high gear and controlled the pace of the game
for the majority of the contest. The Tars led the shot count 12-4,
with Schrader firing off six. After leading the count 5-3 in the
initial 45 minutes, the Tars kicked things into high gear in the
second half, holding TWU to just one shot while they fired off
seven.
The Tars committed more fouls, 8-7, but also held the Pioneers
silent from the corners, leading the count 4-0. Kesic collected
one save on the day after seeing a total of four shots, while
Morgan made four saves for the Pioneers.
"It was important to come away with a victory today and gain
some confidence in our play," added Baker. "I am very proud of our
team's performance this afternoon. We showed some great character;
not only in how they responded to giving up an early goal, but also
in showing themselves that they can get a positive result after a
disappointing opening day loss. We looked much better today than
on Saturday, and and we need to show the same level of improvement
going into Friday night's game in Pensacola."
With two games down after their opening weekend, Rollins
prepares for another whirlwind weekend on the road as they travel
to No. 2 University of West Florida on September 10, and close out
the trip against Thomas University (Ga.) on the 12th.
The Tars will use the upcoming days to continue to focus on
improving this past weekend's play, and focus on the upcoming South
Region showdown against the Argonauts.
"We looked more like a team today. Our possession was better
and the movement off the ball has definitely improved. There is
always a lot to work on after the opening weekend, and we'll focus
on those concerns over the next few weeks. The team has another
wonderful opportunity this week playing nationally ranked West
Florida. It's a short week of preparation and we will need to play
well."
The regional showdown against the West Florida Argos will kick
off on Friday, September 10, at 6 p.m. (EST). Fans will be able to
listen to all of the action live on the Tars Sports Network at
RollinsSports.com.
