Cleveland, Miss. – Wednesday at 1 p.m., Union University’s women’s soccer team faced off against Delta State University in a tight game, finishing with a 0-0 draw that continued their streak of narrow results this season.
The Lady Bulldogs put up a strong offense and outshot Delta State 23-11. Midfielder and defender Bethany Guinness kicked off the game with the first of her three shots on goal in the eighth minute.
Junior exercise science major and forward Paige Blackburn had the most scoring opportunities, taking five shots. Other statistical leaders for the Lady Bulldogs were senior biochemistry major and midfielder Irene Arias and midfielder and forward Brinley Linnenbringer, both with four shots apiece.
The Lady Bulldogs’ goalkeeper, senior computer science major Antia Lopez Rodriguez, made four saves, securing the shutout.
This is the Lady Bulldogs’ fifth conference game of the season, putting them at 0-3-2 for the season and 0-0-2 in the Gulf South Conference.
Rodriguez explained that not capitalizing on opportunities presented is what kept them from victory.
“In the end, football is all about converting the chances we create, and yesterday we were not able to do that. On the positive side, I want to highlight the team’s defensive effort, since we were able to obtain the first clean sheet of conference play.”
The Lady Bulldogs are on a remarkable streak of close results, but Arias noted a difference between this game and the last, against Mississippi Christian, both of which ended in draws. “[This game] was different because in the Mississippi game it felt like a more equal game with goal opportunities for both teams, but in this last game it was mainly us having chances but not converting them,” Arias said.
Moving forward, Rodriguez described how the team aims to maximize their upcoming games.
“Our strategy as a team is to keep working hard every day, learn from the mistakes we’ve made in previous games, and avoid repeating them in the future. We have a very talented group with a strong work ethic, and we strive every day to be at our best on game day. That is what I hope is reflected in the following results and pays off by the end of the season.”
The Lady Bulldogs will be back in action against Spring Hill College on Sept. 19 at home at the Smith Memorial Soccer Complex.
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