The Truman women’s soccer team has hit a hot streak during conference play. The ‘Dogs have assembled five straight conference wins, which has them at 6-0-2 against GLVC opponents and bumped them up to second place in the conference standings.
The Bulldogs made their move in GLVC play last weekend by earning wins against the GLVC’s Kansas City schools. The first of these wins was captured Friday during a 2-1 victory against the Rockhurst University Hawks.
After both teams struggled to score during the majority of the first half, the Hawks got on the board first. With three minutes remaining during the first half, a Rockhurst shot was accidentally knocked in by a Truman defender, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead from the own goal. The Hawks took this lead into halftime, but it did not last long.
Junior midfielder Megan Casserly says the most important thing about trailing late in the contest is the ability to move past the own goal and use it as motivation to play at a higher level.
“With the first goal of the game being one of their only dangerous chances and it coming from an unlucky tip like that, we knew we were outplaying them,” Casserly says. “At halftime, we discussed certain things we could work on collectively as a team — especially being patient when making that final pass in a sequence to get us in behind their defense.”
After immediately placing pressure on the Rockhurst goalkeeper during the second half, Truman leveled the score at 1-1 with a free kick by senior defender Jessica Hanson. Casserly says the ‘Dogs rallied around this goal and found their confidence.
“In the second half, scoring somewhat early into it definitely pumped us up and helped us realize that we definitely had a chance at winning,” Casserly says. “I feel like better chances arose for us in that half because we played with composure and communicated a lot better with each other.”
These scoring opportunities did not end with Hanson’s goal. During the 70th minute senior midfielder Megan Frkovic sent a corner kick into the box, where Casserly would score to give the Bulldogs the lead. The team continued its offensive pressure as it outshot Rockhurst 8-3 during the second half and sealed the 2-1 victory.
Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Mattingly says during the second half, the team responded the right way with a positive attitude and increased motivation.
“We knew we couldn’t dwell on the goal, and I think it motivated us because we knew were not going to allow an unlucky situation like that cost us the game,” Mattingly says.
For more on the women’s soccer team’s recent hot streak, pick up a copy of the Index or click here to read online on Issuu.