LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Spalding women's soccer hosted in-state foe Berea College at Legacy Fields on Wednesday evening. SU won in convincing fashion, with the scoreline finishing at 7-0.
Spalding extended its unbeaten streak to four games and improved its overall record to 4-1-1. Berea fell to 1-5 on the season.
TURNING POINT
Spalding wasted no time getting on the attacking foot, taking their first shot of the game just 23 seconds after the opening kickoff. This set the tone for what would be the story of the game for the Golden Eagle offense. SU launched shot after shot at the Berea goalkeeper, but none of their seven shots found the back of the net. The eighth time was the charm, though, as
Jaelyn Dodson scored her first goal of the season off a beautiful pass from
Lejla Salihovic inside the Mountaineers 18 yard box. Dodson's goal broke the tie, putting Spalding ahead 1-0 in the 29th minute. The Golden Eagle defense maintained a firm line, holding the Mountaineers to just one shot through the first half hour. Spalding again found the back of the net in the 40th minute, with Dodson and Salihovic using the same combination to unlock the Berea net, doubling their respective stat lines for the game. Attacking quickly off the resulting kickoff, Salihovic found
Clara Creg from 35 yards out for her third assist of the contest and Creg's first goal of her collegiate career. The half ended with Spalding ahead 3-0 over Berea.
The second half started like the first, with SU firing shot after shot on the Mountaineer net. In the 53rd minute,
Emma Livingston capitalized off a Berea goal kick. Livingston collected the ball after an errant deflection and ripped a shot past the goalkeeper for her third goal of the young season. Later, SU drew a foul in their defensive half, leading to a free kick. Clara Andrews stepped up and played a long ball to Livingston, who trapped it perfectly in stride. Livingston calmly slotted the ball into the net, extending the Spalding lead to 5-0 as the clock ticked into the final half hour.
Taylor Zebarth wanted in on the fun and found her way onto the scoresheet in the 78th minute, thanks to a quick combination play between
Karolyn Lighthall and
Emma Scheumann. Scheumann and Lighthall tied the bow on the scoring in the 85th minute, with the former finding the latter for her first collegiate goal. Spalding walked away victorious after 90 minutes, 7-0.
GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES
NEXT FOR SPALDING
Spalding will host again for their next game. They look to extend their unbeaten streak to five games. Anderson University will come to town to take on the Golden Eagles on Saturday, September 21st. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
