CLEVELAND, Ga. – Three first-half goals paved the way for No. 8 Truett McConnell women's soccer (8-1-1, 6-0 AAC) in a 4-0 win over Milligan (3-5-2, 3-3-1 AAC) Saturday afternoon.
Four Lady Bears joined in on the scoring with
Isabelle Allen (2),
Isabella Hodson (9),
Joanna Funes (4) and
Mackenzie Plemmons (1).
Eva Mordick also added an assist, her first of the season.
As a team, TMU outshot the Buffs 22-3 in total shots and 13-2 in shots on goal. The home team also had nine corner kicks while fouling less with three compared the Milligan's five.
The Buffs opened with the first shot of the game in the second minute, which sailed high of the crossbar. In the seventh minute, with a feed by Mordick, Allen scored her second goal of the season to put Truett up 1-0 early.
In a three-minute span from 11:00 through 14:00, the Lady Bears applied constant pressure on Milligan, combining for four corner kicks and three shots, two of which were saved. At 13:56, Hodson added a team-leading ninth goal of the season, resulting in a commanding 2-0 TMU lead.
The Buffs finally got another chance in the 24
th minute with a shot on goal, but the attempt was stopped by goaltender
Leire Rodriguez Najera, who earned another clean sheet in Saturday's shutout.
After two shots by the home squad,
Joanna Funes scored her fourth goal of the season to make the margin three. Both teams were held to nothing the rest of the way as the scoreboard read 3-0 Lady Bears at halftime.
Within a ten-minute span, TMU compiled four shots with two forcing a save. At 61:02, Plemmons netted the ball into the net, marking her first career goal as a Lady Bear to make it 4-0. A shot on target in the 68
th minute, which was stopped by Rodriguez Najera, was all the Buffs could do the rest of the way. Truett ended the game with a 4-0 victory, its seventh straight shutout and win overall.
The team is back on the pitch next Wednesday at the TMU Soccer Complex with a match vs. Brenau at 7 p.m.
