Augusto Rossi
Contributor
The Troy soccer team played Jacksonville State to a 0-0 draw and lost 3-0 to Alabama in Mobile over the weekend. Both games were part of the Jaguar Classic, hosted by South Alabama.
The Trojans (2-4-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) struggled to get anything going offensively on the road, despite getting off 17 shots in two games. Of those shots, only seven were on target, and none found the back of the net.
In the 16 games between Troy and Jacksonville State, Friday’s double-overtime draw was the first time the game did not result in a winner. Even with three more shots on frame than the Gamecocks, Troy could not score.
Troy took 11 shots, seven coming in the second half, while JSU attempted eight shots. Qarli Stone, Claire Taylor, Abby Donnelly, Ally Bayer, Julia Winter and Amber Harless all took shots for the Trojans in the game.
Haley Roberson and Nicole Strahl played all 110 minutes of the game, which started at 4 p.m.
Troy put the pressure on JSU goalkeeper Caroline Robinson, who made five saves throughout the game, but the Trojans couldn’t break through to win the match in extra time.
The Trojans had two chances to score within 10 minutes left in regulation and another in the 94th minute, but none could find the back of the net.
On Sunday, Troy played Alabama at noon, suffering a 3-0 defeat. Only nine minutes into the match, Troy conceded a goal from a penalty kick, which put an early damper on its hopes for an upset.
Throughout the game, it was hard for Troy to put together any offensive rhythm. Alabama took 21 shots, while Troy took only six. Just two of the shots from Troy were on goal. The Crimson Tide scored twice in the second half, keeping the game out of the reach of the Trojans.
The first two goals were made by the Tide’s Abbie Boswell, with the first one bouncing in off the post and a second score coming off a cross from teammate Taylor Morgan. The third goal was scored by Emma Welch in the 82nd minute.
This week, The Trojans will go to Ruston, Louisiana, to play against Louisiana Tech on Friday at 7 p.m.
It will be the seventh match in the series between the schools since Troy took the last matchup 1-0 in 2015.
