Scott McLendon
Staff Writer
The final two home games of the 2016 season resulted in a loss and a win for the Troy soccer team as it lost 0-2 to Coastal Carolina and defeated Texas State 2-1.
The Trojans (7-7-3, 3-3-2 Sun Belt) surrendered an early lead to Coastal Carolina and never bounced back. Both teams fired 14 shots that evening, and the Chanticleers (9-5-2, 6-2-1 Sun Belt) had one more on target than the Trojans’ six.
The hosts took 11 of those shots in the second half, but it was the visitors who found the back of the net with a 25-yard blast in the last half of play, sealing the victory.
“When you dig a hole (early), it’s always going to be difficult to play,” Head Coach Jason Hamilton said. “We knew exactly how they were going to play; they are an athletic team, and we had a good game plan and we did a fairly good job of executing that game plan. We had 14 shots. We’ve got to do a better job of putting the ball into the back of the net.”
The Trojans forced the Chanticleers’ senior goalkeeper Becca Austin into six saves, one more than Troy’s Mikki Lewis. In the corners category, the hosts led with five to the visitors’ four, and despite a decisive Coastal Carolina win, every statistic except the score line depicted a closely contested match.
Sunday’s senior night brought with it a more complete performance from the Trojans as they battled the Bobcats (6-9-2, 3-5-1 Sun Belt). Yet again the Trojans gave up a point early on, making things an uphill battle for much of the encounter.
In the 16th minute, Texas State scored the opener when Genesis Turman headed home a corner that slipped just inside the near post.
Much of the first half was played evenly, but the Bobcats held onto their advantage into the halftime break. It was after the second half whistle that the Trojans came to life, racking up nine shots and holding their opponents to three.
Two of those nine found their mark and gave the Trojans the advantage. Freshman defender Nicole Strahl headed home the equalizer in the 60th minute, giving the Trojans a glimmer of hope, and senior Abbey Reynolds seized the lead for the Trojans with her 81st-minute penalty shot.
The Trojans travel to ULM on Friday, Oct. 21, for their second-to-last game of the regular season. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
