The Basics
Score: Evangel 9, Williams Baptist 0 | Box Score
Record: Evangel (1-1-0), Williams Baptist (0-1-0)
Location: Springfield, Mo. (Coryell Field)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Valor Women's Soccer competed in their home opener on a hot Friday evening, taking on the Williams Baptist Eagles. Evangel was able to bounce back from a tough loss the week before to a nationally ranked squad by scoring nine goal en route to a 9-0 victory over the Eagles.
Evangel was able to generate a strong offensive pace from the start, scoring a goal in the first two and a half minutes. A shot by Alece Hershey hit off the crossbar and to the feet of Grayson Murphy, who netted the first goal of the match. Evangel's second goal came twenty minutes later, on another shot that hit off the crossbar and found the feet of McKenzie Calhoun for a goal. The Valor were able to record a third goal in the first half when Murphy fed Anna Crain, netting the third goal of the half. Evangel was able to record several more shots, but went into the half ahead, 3-0.
The Valor came out firing in the second half, scoring six goals. Crain scored her second goal of the game in the first four minutes of the half, taking a 4-0 lead. Just five minutes later, Murphy recorded her second goal of the game, on a feed from Sophia Weeks. Weeks found a goal of her own just four minutes later, extending the Valor lead to 6-0. Evangel's defense kept the ball in the attacking half for the majority of the second half. In the 74th minute of the half, Emily Oedewaldt was able to juke a pair of defenders and hit an exceptional goal in the top right corner, pushing EU ahead, 7-0. Oedewaldt was not done after her first goal, scoring her second less than a minute later on a penalty shot. Evangel's final goal of the night came just two minutes after Oedewaldt's second, when Athena DeMera was able to get the ball past a defender, scoring her first career goal. By the sound of the final horn, Evangel had secured a 9-0 victory.
HIGHLIGHTS
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"This was a nice team win overall. We moved the ball well and were able to fix a few things that challenged us last weekend. When we moved the ball around, we were able to create some solid attacking chances and this evening we were able to convert more of those," Women's Soccer Head Coach Bruce Deaton stated. "We will build on this momentum and continue to sharpen our game as we move on in our non-conference schedule over the next two weeks. I'm proud of how we responded after being challenged last Saturday. This is a good sign going forward!"
UP NEXT
Evangel Women's Soccer will continue their homestand, taking on the Stephens Stars on Tuesday (Aug. 29) evening, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play. Â
