The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Loyola
Soccer holds on to defeat Loyola College
09.05.2004 | Soccer
AUSTIN, Texas -- Caitlin Kennedy (Euless, Texas) and Kelly McDonald (Littleton, Colo.) scored a little over three minutes apart in the second half as No. 13 Texas (3-1) outlasted a two-goal charge by the Greyhounds to notch a 3-2 win over Loyola College (Md.) (2-2) in front of 1,444 fans at Myers Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 5. Of note, the win marked the third in a row for the Horns.
While Texas' offense held most of the possession early on by outshooting the Greyhounds by a 15-1 margin through the first 34-plus minutes, the game remained scoreless. Then, in the 35th minute, Kristen Teter (Kingwood, Texas) settled a ball from Kelly Wilson (Odessa, Texas) to the left of the six, pulled back and completed the give-and-go to Wilson who fired a shot inside the far post to give UT a 1-0 lead. Loyola would try to answer with more pressure in the final 10 minutes of the period, including their first shot on goal coming in the final minute, but Dana Hall (Kingwood, Texas) and the Horns' defense held strong and sent UT to the locker room in front by one at the half.
With Texas still holding onto a one-goal advantage in the second half, Loyola received a foul call just outside the top of the penalty area and had Naomi Daniels rocket a shot off the set piece underneath the cross bar in the 60th minute to knot the match at 1-1. Now facing a tied game, the Horns responded with an offensive spark as Kennedy finished a cross from Amy Burlingham (Costa Mesa, Calif.) just outside the six-yard line at 61:01 to record her first career goal and reclaim the lead for UT. Then, just over three minutes later, McDonald registered her first point of 2004 as she converted a feed from Wilson and Ashley Foster (Athens, Ga.) by turning the corner on her defender and lifting a shot under the crossbar. Failing to let down, the Greyhounds cut their deficit to one goal as Ellen Sroka settled a loose ball above the penalty area and lofted a shot over Hall and into the back of the UT net in the 83rd minute. Still, Loyola's late surge was not enough as the Horns' defense made the one-goal advantage stand up over the final seven-plus minutes of action to give Texas a 3-2 victory. Picking up the win in goal for UT was Hall, who improved to 3-1 on the year, while Loyola's Erica Niemann incurred the loss despite making three saves on the night.
Leading the way for the Texas offense was Wilson, who scored for the third straight game and posted three points on the night with one goal and one assist, McDonald, who tallied her 10th career game-winning goal, and Kennedy, who upped her season point total to three with her first career score. Loyola, meanwhile, had its offense paced by Daniels and Sroka, who each scored second-half unassisted goals on their only shots of the match.
Up next, Texas opens conference action on Friday, Sept. 10 when the Horns travel to College Station, Texas, to take on the No. 4 Aggies at 6:30 p.m. Central.
