Soccer falls on three-game skid, drops Friday’s home opener to Kennesaw St.

Dylan Hurst Following a 5-0 loss to Florida State last Sunday, the Troy Women’s Soccer team (1-3, 0-0 Sun Belt), fell to Kennesaw State in the 2018 home opener, losing 3-1. The Trojans fell to 2-1-0 overall following the loss to Kennesaw State in a game that showed much promise and created opportunities for scoring on both sides. In the sixth minute, Kennesaw State’s Erin Harris made a low pass to Kendall Higgs, who kicked it in for the first goal of the day. A few minutes later, Harris intercepted a wobbly pass and then sent it for the second goal. In the 14th minute, Troy scored a goal of its own. A throw-in by Natalie Melillo led to a shot by Ally Bayer, but it was saved and returned into play. Nathali DaSilva completed a pass to Claire Taylor, who scored her first career goal. In the second half, the Trojans controlled the possession clock and had many chances to score but just came up short offensively. In the 71st minute, Kennesaw State’s Kameron Downs’ shot on goal went over the Trojan goalie’s head after making contact with another Trojan player. This shot gave Kennesaw State it’s third and final goal in the game. Troy also fell3-0 against Chattanooga on Sunday, putting the Trojans on a three-game skid. The Trojans lacked offensive strength during the game, and also struggled defensively as they were unable to stop Chattanooga from scoring. However, the Trojans were able to tally seven shots on goal, a number which Chattanooga matched. The first score in the game came very quickly in just the seventh minute of the opening half. Chattanooga’s Catherine Meyer prevented the ball from rolling out-of-bounds and sent a pass to Chloe Arnold, who scored. With six seconds remaining in the opening half, Chattanooga’s Hollie Massey quickly took a corner and completed a pass to Masey Fox in the near post to double their lead. Troy made six corners in the second half. Troy’s Natalie Melillo was able to land two of her three shots on goal, but she was the only Trojan to do so. The Trojans will be back in action this Thursday, Aug. 30th, at The Cage on the campus of South Alabama, to take on Ole Miss at a neutral site.