University of North Florida
Stetson
Women's Soccer Falls to Stetson, 3-2
9/25/2011 6:07:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Complete Box Score
DELAND, Fla. -- The University of North Florida women's soccer team fell to Stetson on Sunday afternoon by a score of 3-2. It was the eighth game of the Ospreys' season decided by a goal or less.
The Ospreys appeared to be in control throughout the match, outshooting the Hatters 14-10, but struggled to finish while also accumulating eight offsides on the day.
UNF jumped out to a 1-0 lead almost immediately, as sophomore midfielder Keara Murphy collected a pass from Carolina Lencina, took a dribble around charging Hatter goalkeeper Grace Turner and finished on an open net in just the second minute.
Stetson equalized soon after when Alyssa Welsh pounced on a loose ball and lofted a shot over sophomore goalkeeper Megan Dorsey, who had left her line to challenge the forward. The ball dropped into the upper right corner of the goal to even the score at 1-1 in the 27th minute.
As the teams went to halftime, the Ospreys held a clear advantage, with an 8-4 advantage in shots and having taken five corner kicks to Stetson's two.
“We had a lot of chances again,” Head Coach Linda Hamilton said. “If we put those away, maybe it's a different game, but we have quite a few things to work on.”
The score remained 1-1 until the 72nd minute, when Stetson midfielder Alex Stanojev's cross was tipped to the foot of forward Sammie Matthews, who easily put a shot into the middle of the goal to give the Hatters a 2-1 advantage.
The Ospreys then pounced on a Stetson defensive mistake as sophomore forward Lauren Hopfensperger grabbed a loose ball in the 80th minute and chipped a shot over Turner to tie the game at 2-2.
Just four minutes later, however, the Hatters put the game away. Welsh pounced on a defensive miscommunication stemming from a long pass from Katie O'Kennedy and was able to fire a shot to the far post to put Stetson up 3-2, a margin that would prove to be decisive.
“It was a difficult game for us,” Hamilton said. “We thought we definitely could have won, so it's very frustrating.”
With the loss, UNF falls to 4-7-1 and starts 0-2 in Atlantic Sun Conference play. Stetson improves to 2-7-1 and 1-1 in-conference.
The Ospreys are next in action on Friday, Sept. 30, when they face Mercer at 7 p.m. It will be UNF's first match at Hodges Stadium, where it is 1-0-1, in over a month.
