The Tulsa women’s soccer team earned a 3-2 win over SMU on Thursday night at Westcott Field in Dallas, Texas.  The Golden Hurricane moved to 6-5-1 on the season and 2-1 in American Athletic Conference play, while the Mustangs fell to 8-4-1 overall and 3-2 in the league.

 

“Jim Rhein and Caroline Stanley made some adjustments at halftime that helped us defensively, especially in the midfield, and that made the difference in the second half,” Head Coach Kyle Cussen said.  “Tonight was a character check and an identity check for us.  We went up 1-0, then down 2-1, but they never quit.  They just continued to fight and we were able to get two well-deserved goals to close out the game.  This was also one of Mica’s best games in goal because she made some big saves that helped us win the game.  I felt like we found our identity tonight with our fight and intensity from the entire team.”

 

Mia Darden picked up a pass from Addyson Guthrie at the midfield line, drove the ball up the right sideline, into the box and shot from eight yards out into the lower left corner to give the Golden Hurricane a 1-0 lead at the 21:54 mark.  This was Darden’s seventh goal on the season, which leads all Tulsa scorers on the year.

 

Vanessa Valadez evened the score in the 27^th minute as she punched in a penalty kick after a foul in the box, and then Allie Thornton gave the Mustangs the go-ahead goal in the 37^th minute, a lead SMU held onto at the break.

 

Averee Dubach evened the score at 2-2 as she drilled in a rebound attempt that was taken by Anna Williams at the 53:23 mark.  Dubach’s goal, the first for the sophomore defender, was scored from 10 yards out and shot into the upper right-hand corner.

 

Emily Brandenburg tallied her second goal on the year as she recorded the game-winner from eight yards out in the 57^th minute.  She picked up a free kick from Alyssa Kaiser that was passed on the ground to the penalty kick line and Brandenburg one-timed it into the back of the net.

 

Fabi Miguel had a team-best four shots, while Brandenburg and Williams both had two attempts, and three others had one shot.  Mica MacKay logged all 90 minutes in goal and picked up 10 saves.

 

SMU had a 24-11 lead in shots, including a 12-7 advantage in shots on goal, and a 5-1 lead in corner kicks.

 

Tulsa will return to action on Sunday, October 7 at Houston.  Game time is set for 1:00 pm.

 

Scoring Summary

Tulsa   1          2          -           3

SMU    2          0          -           2

 

Individual Scoring

Mia Darden (Tulsa) at 21:54 (unassisted)

Vanessa Valadez (SMU) at 26:28 (penalty kick)

Allie Thornton (SMU) at 36:03 (Courtney Sebazco / Katina Tsapos)

Averee Dubach (Tulsa) at 53:23 (Anna Williams)

Emily Brandenburg (Tulsa) at 56:55 (Alyssa Kaiser)

 

Goalkeeper Saves

Mica MacKay (Tulsa) – 10

Catie Brown (SMU) – 4

 

-ForOurCity-