Women's Soccer Falls to Mississippi State
9/2/2007 4:13:00 AM | Women's Soccer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ? Holli Finneren’s goal in the 85th minute wasn’t enough for a late comeback as the Georgia Southern women’s soccer team fell to a strong Mississippi State squad, 2-1, Sunday afternoon, at the Samford Barber’s Invitational.
The Eagles fall to 0-2 in the young season, while the Bulldogs maintain an unblemished record at 2-0.
Overall, Mississippi State held the offensive advantage over the Eagles in the shots and corner kick categories, outshooting GSU 20-5, while tallying a 17-0 edge in corner kicks.
The shot opportunities helped the Bulldogs get on the scoreboard first when in the eighth minute Jessica Davis slipped a shot into the right corner of the goal.
Shots by Jenny Anderson (Birmingham, Ala.) in the 22nd minute and Susanne Rogers (Augusta, Ga.) in the 34th minute were high and wide.
GSU’s best scoring opportunity in the first half came off the foot of Michelle Berard (Kennesaw, Ga.) in the 39th minute, but was saved by MSU keeper Taryn Holland.
Thirteen minutes into the second half, Mississippi State gained a 2-0 advantage after Treena Ferguson scored a winner past a diving Lauren Santos (Berwyn, Ill.) thanks to assisting teammates Katelyn Graben and Bethany Frazier.
“We made some adjustments in the second half and I thought we came out more competitive,” said head coach Ashley Hart. “We did a good job competing and battling for the soccer ball. In the last 30 minutes, we did a good job of calming down and playing our style of soccer.”
Both GSU shots in the second half came off the feet of Holli Finneren (Lake Orion, Mich.). Her first came in the 84th minute that went wide right. In the next minute, Finneren knocked in a penalty kick to give the Eagles their lone goal. It was GSU’s first goal in the young schedule.
Lauren Santos stopped 6 MSU shots and was credited with the loss, falling to 0-2, while Bulldog Taryn Holland made one save and earned the win.
Named to the All-Tournament Team were sophomores Heather Smith (Kingwood, Texas) and Lauren Santos, for both their defensive and offensive leadership during the tournament.
“Heather did a great job on defense during the tournament,” said Hart. “Not only is she a great defender, but she’s also an offensive threat. She created several of our scoring opportunities during these last two games.”
“Lauren had a solid game versus Samford,” said Hart. “Her shot-stopping ability, composure and leadership in the back was essential for us this weekend.
The Eagles will conclude their three-game road trip as they travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia State. The non-conference match-up is scheduled for September 9th at 1 p.m.
