RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's soccer team scored two second half goals in a comeback effort Sunday at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex, but fell, 3-2, to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (AMCC) Islanders in the South Texas Showdown presented by Rally Credit Union.
The Islanders (4-8-4, 2-4-2 Southland Conference) were quick to take the lead, scoring the first goal of the match in the fifth minute off the foot of
Emma Lucero. They added another goal in the 12
th minute as
Madison Page converted on a penalty kick following a foul called against UTRGV.
The Vaqueros (5-9-2, 2-5-1 SLC) didn't let the early deficit slow down their efforts. UTRGV applied consistent pressure in its offensive third and had two spurts of corners and chances, but the Corpus defense held up. Graduate student forward
Savannah Frisby took four of UTRGV's six shots in the first half as she pushed the offense with junior midfielder
Olivia Smith. Smith and junior defender
Yiselle Bernal put shots on goal, but AMCC goalkeeper
Jessie Spurrell came up with two saves.
Junior goalkeeper
Emilia Compian made a pair of saves in the first half, but the Islanders held a 3-0 lead at halftime after
Mai-Lisa Atis scored in the 34
th minute.
UTRGV continued to battle in the second half and slowly built up momentum behind a steady offensive attack. The Islanders created the first chance in the opening minutes of the half and Compian came up with the save. The Vaqueros responded with four shots, including one from sophomore defender/midfielder
Erika Parker that was saved by Spurrell.
The pressure paid off in the 71
st minute as Smith launched a shot from the edge of the offensive third directly to the back right corner of the net to get UTRGV on the board. Shortly after, Frisby sent a cross into the box and junior midfielder
Linnea Eld drilled it with her left foot into the goal, cutting the deficit to 3-2 in the 72
nd minute.
UTRGV got two good chances late in the second half as the physical Islanders were administered a yellow card and a string of fouls, but Bernal's first shot went directly into the wall of AMCC defenders and the second was punched over the crossbar by Spurrell. The Vaqueros got a corner kick with about a minute remaining in the match but couldn't convert.
The Vaqueros will be back in action Thursday at 7 p.m. at East Texas A&M.
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