Sunday, September 29
Carbondale, Ill.
12 PM
Southern Illinois University
4-7-1, 0-0-0
1
vs
4
Texas Rio Grande Valley
6-3-1, 0-0-0
1
2
F
UTRGV
0
4
4
Southern Ill.
0
1
1
Salukis Drop 4-1 Decision to UTRGV
09/29/2019 | 3:28:00 | Women's Soccer
CABONDLAE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois University Salukis (4-7-1 overall) fell apart in the second half of Sunday's match en route to losing their third-straight game in a 4-1 decision to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (6-3-1).
The Vaqueros were on the offensive throughout the first half, launching 11 shots compared to the Salukis' two, but were unable to capitalize as freshman Dariana Mihalache recorded five saves on all of the Vaqueros' shots on goal. SIU managed to get one shot on goal but were stopped by UTRGV's Maile Lunardi before heading into the break tied at 0-0.
SIU got off to a hot start in the second half as freshman forward Liz Brechtel netted her third goal of the season merely a minute into the half to jump out to the 1-0 lead. UTRGV responded seven minutes later by way of a goal from Shentatius Knox to tie things up.
The Salukis battled to keep the tie in place but were unable to as UTRGV's Emily Zapata knocked in her third goal of the season to give the Vaqueros the 2-1 lead in the 66th minute. Only a minute would go by before UTRGV would tack on another goal to their lead, as Gina Steiner connected with the back of the net to put UTRGV up 3-1.
SIU couldn't stop the bleeding as UTRGV's Anna Torslov scored her second goal of the season and final goal on the day in the match's 73rd minute to put the Salukis down three at 4-1. SIU managed to fire off three shots in the final 15 minutes of play but were unable to erase the deficit before time expired.
Head coach Grant Williams' postgame comments
On the difference of halves for the Salukis
I don't know if I've been more disappointed or frustrated with our team this entire season. I just don't feel that we crossed the line as a group or individually. We just didn't want it today. We just weren't sharp, weren't' dialed in, didn't compete and didn't have the competitiveness that's necessary to win at this level.
On the difference between the two teams this afternoon
Technicality and soccer IQ. I think that given the tough conditions, they (UTRGV) came with the right attitude to win weren't deterred even going a goal down early in the match. Their body language didn't change. It was business as usual for them. That just wasn't our approach today.
On the importance of staying in game shape with a spread-out upcoming schedule
We're going to use this time to recover a little bit. We've had some players who have been unavailable over the past couple of weeks that we're going to get back. Just from sharing the minutes, that's going to be beneficial for us. Because we weren't as fit as we needed to be coming into the season, we are just at a point where we're hitting the wall a little bit. Mentally, physically, emotionally we're getting fatigued and we need to manage that the best that we can. It's more about sharpness and the quality of our training as we approach the final month of the season.
On the upcoming match against SEMO
They will be better than when we saw them earlier in the season. Early on, everybody was a work in progress, and they've had the same amount of time to solidify their lineup, identify what's working and not, whereas we are still learning. I expect a better SEMO team. We're going to have to show up and compete. We're going to have to approach the game like we're going to get a result in order to have a chance.
Up Next: SIU will be off from competition until next Sunday when they travel to face Southeast Missouri State (5-3) on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m.
For the latest updates on the Salukis, follow the team on Twitter (@SIU_Soccer), Instagram (@SIU_Soccer) and Facebook (@SalukiSoccer).
The Vaqueros were on the offensive throughout the first half, launching 11 shots compared to the Salukis' two, but were unable to capitalize as freshman Dariana Mihalache recorded five saves on all of the Vaqueros' shots on goal. SIU managed to get one shot on goal but were stopped by UTRGV's Maile Lunardi before heading into the break tied at 0-0.
SIU got off to a hot start in the second half as freshman forward Liz Brechtel netted her third goal of the season merely a minute into the half to jump out to the 1-0 lead. UTRGV responded seven minutes later by way of a goal from Shentatius Knox to tie things up.
The Salukis battled to keep the tie in place but were unable to as UTRGV's Emily Zapata knocked in her third goal of the season to give the Vaqueros the 2-1 lead in the 66th minute. Only a minute would go by before UTRGV would tack on another goal to their lead, as Gina Steiner connected with the back of the net to put UTRGV up 3-1.
SIU couldn't stop the bleeding as UTRGV's Anna Torslov scored her second goal of the season and final goal on the day in the match's 73rd minute to put the Salukis down three at 4-1. SIU managed to fire off three shots in the final 15 minutes of play but were unable to erase the deficit before time expired.
Head coach Grant Williams' postgame comments
On the difference of halves for the Salukis
I don't know if I've been more disappointed or frustrated with our team this entire season. I just don't feel that we crossed the line as a group or individually. We just didn't want it today. We just weren't sharp, weren't' dialed in, didn't compete and didn't have the competitiveness that's necessary to win at this level.
On the difference between the two teams this afternoon
Technicality and soccer IQ. I think that given the tough conditions, they (UTRGV) came with the right attitude to win weren't deterred even going a goal down early in the match. Their body language didn't change. It was business as usual for them. That just wasn't our approach today.
On the importance of staying in game shape with a spread-out upcoming schedule
We're going to use this time to recover a little bit. We've had some players who have been unavailable over the past couple of weeks that we're going to get back. Just from sharing the minutes, that's going to be beneficial for us. Because we weren't as fit as we needed to be coming into the season, we are just at a point where we're hitting the wall a little bit. Mentally, physically, emotionally we're getting fatigued and we need to manage that the best that we can. It's more about sharpness and the quality of our training as we approach the final month of the season.
On the upcoming match against SEMO
They will be better than when we saw them earlier in the season. Early on, everybody was a work in progress, and they've had the same amount of time to solidify their lineup, identify what's working and not, whereas we are still learning. I expect a better SEMO team. We're going to have to show up and compete. We're going to have to approach the game like we're going to get a result in order to have a chance.
Up Next: SIU will be off from competition until next Sunday when they travel to face Southeast Missouri State (5-3) on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m.
For the latest updates on the Salukis, follow the team on Twitter (@SIU_Soccer), Instagram (@SIU_Soccer) and Facebook (@SalukiSoccer).
Team Stats
UTRGV
Saluki
Goals
4
1
Shots
25
6
Shots on Goal
13
4
Saves
3
9
Corners
4
3
Fouls
4
5
Scoring Plays
Liz Brechtel (1)
GOAL by Saluki Brechtel, Liz.
45:57
Shentatious Knox (1)
GOAL by UTRGV Knox, Shentatious.
52:19
Emily Zapata (1)
GOAL by UTRGV Zapata, Emily.
66:39
Gina Steiner (1)
GOAL by UTRGV Steiner, Gina.
67:49
Anna Torslov (1)
GOAL by UTRGV Torslov, Anna.
73:35
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
fwd
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
F
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