The Basics
Score: Saginaw Valley 2, Lake Erie 0
Records: SVSU (7-2-1, 1-1-1 GLIAC) | LEC (6-3, 1-2 GLIAC)
Location: Braddock Field - University Center, Mich.
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The SVSU women's soccer team returned to Braddock Field on Friday (Sep. 30) for a weekend slate of GLIAC matches. They began with a 2-0 shutout victory over the Lake Erie Storm for the team's first league victory of the season.
SVSU pressured Lake Erie from the start with seven shot attempts and two corner kicks in the first 15 mintues of action. The Cardinals got their best chance in the 23rd minute when Ashley Henderson was taken down outside the six-yard box and was awarded a penalty kick.
Henderson would beat the goalie with a strong kick to the lower right corner of the net for her eighth goal of the season.
From there, the Cardinals remained relentless on the ball in all zones and limited the Storm to just two shot attempts during the first half. The Cardinals would then add another tally with three seconds left in the first half with Valentina Giambanco's shot deflection off a Storm defender and past the goalkeeper for her third goal of the season.
Lake Erie would hold the Cardinals to just six shots in the second half but SVSU would never relinquish its 2-0 lead to record the team's seventh victory of 2016.
Inside the Boxscore
- Henderson's goal was her eighth of the season on the first half penalty kick. It marked her fourth-career penalty kick goal. Her eight tallies currently rank second in the GLIAC.
- Eight different Cardinals players registered a shot on goal in the match. Shelby Watts led the team with five, followed by Henderson with four and three others with three.
- Giambanco was credited with the goal off the Lake Erie defender, marking her third of her young career for Saginaw Valley.
- SVSU was held to just six shot attempts in the second half. The Cardinals fired 21 shots in the first half against Lake Erie, with 10 of those shots being on goal and two finding the back of the net.
- Claire Spleth (7-2-1) pitched a six-save shutout for the Cardinals. She now has five shutouts on the season and 15 in her career.
From Head Coach Michael O'Neill
"Overall, I thought we had a great team performance today. We dominated the game in all areas but we are slightly frustrated that we weren't able to add more goals to the stat sheet. We will have to recover and prepare for a tough opponent in Walsh on Sunday."
Up Next...
Saginaw Valley stays at Braddock Field for another GLIAC match against Walsh on Sunday (Oct. 2) at Noon. The Cardinals will then host Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan the following weekend. Both matches are scheduled for 1:00 pm.
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