SMU W-Soccer Earns 1-0 Road Victory Over Marshall

{fshare id=3130}

HURRICANE, W. Va. (SMU) – Olivia Elliott picked up a long rebound and fired a shot past Marshall’s Lindsey Kerns from 30 yards out in the 19th minute to propel SMU to a 1-0 win on Sunday afternoon.

The Mustangs’ record improves to 7-6-3 (3-2-3 C-USA) in 2012. The Mustangs are currently riding a three-game unbeaten streak. SMU is now 6-1 all-time against the Thundering Herd. SMU goalkeeper Lauryn Bodden notched her second consecutive shutout, marking the first time in her career that she’s had clean sheets in back-to-back games.

“Lauryn (Bodden) was good,” Head Coach Chris Petrucelli said. “The whole back four were good. The team was committed defensively. Bodden has certainly played well lately.”

Elliott scored her fifth goal of the season in the 19th minute to give SMU an early 1-0 lead. The play started with Shelby Redman getting the ball past the Marshall defense where it was found by Kenzie Scovill. Scovill took a shot on goal, which deflected off of Kerns’ leg to about 25 yards away where Elliott received it. The sophomore then fired the ball into the wide-open net.

Marshall tried to apply more pressure late by making some offensive-minded substitutions, and it nearly worked. Bodden was forced to make a crucial save in the 87th minute off a header by Marshall’s Erin Simmons.

The win concludes a four-game road trip that started on Oct. 5. The Mustangs have not played a home game since Sept. 30, but will return to Westcott on Friday to take on UAB.

“We’ve got to get rested up,” Petrucelli said, noting how much travelling his team has done recently. “We’ll need some big efforts (this weekend) and I think we’ll get them.”

SMU’s contest against UAB is slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Mustangs take on Memphis at 2 p.m. on Sunday.