The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
UCLA
Soccer defeats UCLA in exhibition contest
08.18.2004 | Soccer
LOS ANGELES -- Scoring twice in each half and receiving goals from four different players, The University of Texas women's soccer team notched a 4-1 over UCLA in a preseason exhibition match at Drake Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 18.
The Horns grabbed an early 1-0 lead three minutes into the match as the freshmen duo of Kelsey Carpenter (Allen, Texas) and Caitlin Kennedy (Euless, Texas) combined for the game's opening goal when Kennedy slipped a pass through two defenders to Carpenter, who drilled a shot into the left corner of the Bruins net from 12 yards out. Nine minutes later, in the 12th minute, sophomore Amy Burlingham (Costa Mesa, Calif.) staked Texas to a 2-0 advantage as she corralled a long ball over the UCLA defense from Nikki Thaden (Clive, Iowa) and fired a right-footed shot inside the far post. Looking to answer, the Bruins managed to trim the UT lead to one before halftime as sophomore Bristyn Davis intercepted a clearing attempt in the Horns, end and finished a shot from five yards.
In the second half, the score remained 2-1 until the 70th minute when M.A.C. Hermann Trophy "Watch List" selection Kelly Wilson (Odessa, Texas) handled a header pass from Burlingham off a goal kick and beat UCLA goalkeeper Valerie Henderson to her left to push the Horns on top 3-1. Then, with 11 minutes remaining in the match, senior Kristen Teter (Kingwood, Texas) volleyed a Wilson cross from the right corner out of the air and into the back of the net from the six to give UT a 4-1 lead. From there, the Texas defense, along with goalkeeper Dana Hall (Kingwood, Texas), who tallied three saves over 90 minutes of action, held the Bruins' attack in check to close out the three-goal victory.
"What we proved today was that we can score goals," Texas head coach Chris Petrucelli said. "Teams that can score have a chance to win any game in which they play. Our squad also performed like a mature and confident team this afternoon. We were focused right from the opening whistle and that showed in the result."
The Longhorns will now return to Austin to continue their preseason workouts before starting classes and then opening the 2004 campaign with a 7:30 p.m. match at Myers Stadium against Clemson on Friday, Aug. 27 presented by Texadelphia. Tickets can be purchased by phone (512-471-3333 or 1-800-982-BEVO) or through the Internet (TexasBoxOffice.com).
