By Jeremy Nelson
The McPherson College women's soccer team entered Saturday's home game with the Southwestern College Moundbuilders, still looking for their first win of the season. Playing for the first time this year on the natural grass of the Kennel, the Bulldogs were hoping a change of scenery might be just what the doctor ordered to get their season turned around.
The Bulldogs got off to a sluggish start, and in the 10
th minute of the opening half, the Moundbuilders' Alissa Tapp, crossed a ball from the left side of the 18 yard box which found teammate Rylee Simon around the penalty spot. Simon connected with the ball on the second bounce, firing the ball in to the back of the net, to put the 'Builders up 1-0.
Six minutes later a Bulldog foul just outside of the 18 yard box, set up another score for the 'Builders. On the direct kick, Tapp drove a low line drive through the Bulldog wall and past a diving
Christie Silber (So. Simi Valley, Calif.), the Bulldog goalkeeper. Mac created several chances at goal throughout the remainder of the half, but were unable to connect. They headed into the halftime intermission trailing Southwestern 2-0.
The Bulldogs came out with renewed energy in the second half. Five minutes into the second frame,
Emma Singleton (Fr. North Vegas, Nev.), put the Bulldogs on the board, connecting on a pass from
Cheyann Lake (Sr. Kansas City, Kan.), and cutting the 'Builder lead in half. In the 68
th minute, Southwestern pushed their lead back out to two goals when Brianna Alcorn fired in a shot from the left side of the box. Silber, came out to challenge a 'Builder attacker, but collided with one of her own defenders. The ball squirted free and found the foot of Alcorn, who found the back of the net.
The Bulldogs were unable to cut into the lead down the stretch, and time ran out with Southwestern on top 3-1. McPherson outshot Southwestern 17 to 12, and also had the advantage in shots on goal 8-7. Silber played all 90 minutes in net for the Bulldogs, coming away with 5 saves.
Bulldog head coach,
Mark Olson, commented on his teams' performance saying, "I was proud of how our players played today. We didn't get the win but there were a lot of positives that we can take out of a game like this."Â Olson went on to add, "It comes down to capitalizing on the opportunities that you work so hard to create and we created several good opportunities in today's game. We look to continue to work hard and move forward."
With the loss, the Bulldogs fall to 0-7 on the year, and 0-2 in KCAC play. They will get another chance to find the win column when they go on the road next Wednesday for a 6:30 match up in Wichita, Kan. against the Friends University Falcons.
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