SMU W-Soccer Advances In AAC Tournament
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ORLANDO, Fla. (SMU) – The SMU women’s soccer team earned a come-from-behind victory over Temple, 2-1, in the opening round of the American Athletic Conference Championship on Friday afternoon at the UCF Soccer Complex in Orlando, Florida.
The Mustangs trailed, 1-0, at halftime, but scored two second half goals to earn the win.
“I thought we played well in the second half,” said Head Coach Chris Petrucelli. “We certainly had some chances and scored a couple. Two goals in a half, that’s not bad.”
SMU (7-13-0, 2-7-0 The American), seeded ninth, recorded most of the chances in the early going. After an even first 20 minutes, the Mustangs ramped up the pressure midway through the half.
In the 28th minute, sophomore defender Taylor Barg streaked through the midfield and hit a shot from just outside the 18, but her attempt went high and wide.
Less than a minute later, junior forward Lissi Lonsberry gathered the ball near the top of the box and hit a strike that deflected off of the far post.
Temple (11-8-1, 3-5-1 The American), the eighth seed, then went ahead in
the 39th minute when junior Kelly Farrell got on the end of an Alyssa Kirk cross for her ninth goal of the season. The Owls would carry the 1-0 lead into halftime.
Despite the one-goal deficit, the Mustangs outshot Temple, 7-3, including a 3-2 margin in shots on goal.
SMU immediately put pressure on the Temple defense at the start of the second half, and the team’s effort paid dividends. Sophomore forward Kelsey Gorney headed in a Barg free kick from the endline to put the Mustangs on the board and even the score at 1-1. The score was Gorney’s second of the season and Barg’s third assist.
Eight minutes later, senior goalkeeper Lauryn Bodden made a key stop to keep the match deadlocked, tipping a Temple shot over the crossbar.
The Mustangs nearly went ahead in the 65th minute, when senior midfielder Rikki Clarke ripped a shot from over 20 yards out that deflected off the crossbar.
In the 82nd minute, Bodden registered a key save on a scoring opportunity for the Owls. A Temple attacker gathered a loose ball inside the box and hit a shot from eight yards out, but Bodden was there to make a diving save.
Just seconds later, freshman forward Lauren Guerra, who came off the bench, scored the game-winner for the Mustangs. Guerra received a pass from Lonsberry and then tucked a long shot into the upper right corner of the net. The goal was Guerra’s fourth of the season and Lonsberry’s first assist.
“If we can bring Lauren on in spurts, like we did today,” said Petrucelli. “She can be pretty dangerous.”
The Mustangs would hold strong for the remaining eight minutes to pull out the 2-1 victory.
With the win, SMU advances to play number one seed and 19th-ranked UCF in the quarterfinals on Sunday. The Mustangs fell 3-0 to the Knights in the regular season.
“We’re going to have to rally,” said Petrucelli. “They’ve been the best team in the league for the past couple of years, but we’re going to come out and give the effort. You never know what could happen.”
Sunday’s contest will take place at the UCF Soccer Complex in Orlando, Florida, at 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT.
