ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri S&T women's soccer earned its first home victory of the season Sunday afternoon, holding off Missouri Southern State 3-2 at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.
The Miners (1-1) struck first in the fifth minute when
Adriana Benassi (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit) found the back of the net off an assist from
Aubrey Case (Yorktown, VA/Tabb), giving S&T an early 1-0 advantage.
Missouri Southern answered in the 21st minute when Presley Whitmire scored off an assist from Daniela Marquez, sending the teams into halftime tied at 1-1.
Benassi put S&T back in front in the 56th minute, scoring her second goal of the afternoon off an assist from
Jenna Marti (Sammamish, WA/Eastside Catholic). Missouri Southern responded less than a minute later when Samantha Glossup scored to even the match at 2-2.
The Miners regained the lead in the 64th minute when Case converted a penalty kick, giving S&T a 3-2 advantage.
S&T's defense held Missouri Southern scoreless over the final 26 minutes to secure the victory.
"Overall, considering the adversity of Head Coach
Matthew Perry not being able to be there, and only having two officials, the girls did well," states Assistant Coach
Dylan Fillwock. "Defensively, the other team worked through us more than we've seen so far. Offensively, we need to be better in front of the goal and need to stay connected. But on a positive note, they did enough to get a win," he continued.
Benassi led the Miners' attack with two goals on four shots on goal, while Case added a goal and an assist. S&T finished with 14 shots, including 11 on goal, and held a 10-7 advantage in corner kicks.
Madeline Falls (Gilbert, AZ/Benjamin Franklin Charter) recorded two saves in the second half to help preserve the victory, while
Catie Riddle (Westland, MI/Churchill) made one save during the opening half.
Perry, who was absent due to personal reasons, says, "Watching from home, I will say, it was great to see us face some adversity, get pegged in the back twice, and still win. So proud!"
What's Next
The Miners will look to push momentum going into their next contest on Friday, September 4, when they welcome Upper Iowa University on home turf. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
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