Cardinal Women Bounce Back With 3-1 Victory Over Missouri-St. Louis

Cardinal Women Bounce Back With 3-1 Victory Over Missouri-St. Louis

UNIVERSITY CENTER -- The SVSU Women's Soccer squad bounced back from a tough Friday defeat to claim a 3-1 regional victory over the Univeristy of Missouri-St. Louis on Sunday afternoon at Braddock Field. The Cardinals separated with two second half goals within the final 17 minutes to take the win over the Tritons.

It didn't take long for the home team to get on the board, as Autumn Kloha scored her first career goal on a header at the 4:29 marker off a corner by Carlee Davis. That put SVSU up by a 1-0 count.

UMSL tied the match at 1-1 in the 32nd minute of action, putting away a loose ball in the box for the goal.

That 1-1 score stayed into the halftime break, with both teams getting some action going offensively. The Cardinals got-off eight first half shots while the Tritons had six. 

SVSU held an offensive edge even more in the second half, firing 11 shots to UMSL's two in the final 45 minutes. One of those shots finally broke the 1-1 deadlock at the 73:31 point when Allison Sims had a nice corner that deflected to Molly Vanderhoff. She then struck a nice low ball, depositing it in the back of the net to give the Cards a 2-1 lead.

Another goal would come the Cardinals' way in the 84th minute when Whitney Fleming fought through traffic and beat the goalkeeper for a 3-1 SV lead. 

That insurance goal allowed Saginaw Valley to safely close-out for the two-goal victory over the Tritons.  

Inside the Boxscore

  • The victory for the Cardinals is the first of the 2019 season and the 50th in the coaching career of head coach Michael O'Neill. 
  • Kloha, Vanderhoff and Fleming all got on the board with their first goals of the season.
  • Davis added her first assist of the season and second of her career, as did Sims in the contest. 
  • SVSU out-shot the Tritons 19-8 in the contest, putting nine shots on-goal compared to four for UMSL.
  • Ally Gaunt (1-1-0) claimed her first victory in goal for SV, allowing the one goal and making three saves.

From Head Coach Michael O'Neill...

"It was great to get back to winning ways today against a very tough and gritty opponent in UMSL. The game itself was a little too transitional, especially in the first half. We spoke about how our quality on the ball would allow us to control the game while also allowing us to create clear cut changes, but our mindset had to change. We executed that plan in the second half and were rewarded with two great finishes from our senior leaders Whitney Fleming and Molly Vanderhoff. We still have lessons to learn from today and I'm hoping we can put on a much more complete performance against Walsh on Thursday."

Up Next...

Saginaw Valley hosts Walsh University in another regional matchup, facing the Cavaliers on Thursday (Sep. 12). First kick is set for 4:30 p.m. at Braddock Field. 

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