Women's soccer suffers first loss in shutout

ST. PAUL – Two days after opening its season with a 5-0 win over UW-Stevens Point, the St. Thomas women's soccer team suffered its first loss of the 2015 season on Thursday afternoon at South Field. The Tommies fell to Pacific Lutheran by the score of 3-0, allowing all three goals in the second half. With the loss, UST drops to 1-1-0 on the year, while the Lutes improve to 2-0-0.

The first half saw the two teams play to a scoreless tie. Although Pacific Lutheran held a 9-5 shot advantage through the first 45 minutes, Tommie goalkeeper Tarynn Theilig came up with five saves and survived a scare that saw Lute shot meet squarely with the crossbar.

However, the St. Thomas defense could not keep PLU off the scoreboard for much longer, as the Lutes went on to score twice in the opening three minutes of the final frame.

Kaylie Rozell got the scoring started with a strike from outside the box to score her first goal of the young season and put the Lutes on top 1-0.

Machaela Graddy followed a minute and a half later when a defensive lapse allowed her to get behind the Tommie back line and chip a shot over Theilig for the second goal of the afternoon.

Krista Morford put the finishing touches on the win for the Lutes, sending one home just under a diving Tarynn Theilig to seal the 3-0 win.

PLU flexed a 17-9 shot advantage in the game, as well as a 7-3 edge in corner kicks to create more opportunities and inevitably fly back to the west coast with a pair of wins under its belt.

Theilig suffered her first loss of the year after making eight saves. Her counterpart, Takara Mitsui, recorded her second straight shutout.

St. Thomas will look to get back in the win column on Wednesday, Sept. 9 when it travels to Waverly, Iowa to take on Wartburg College. That will be a night game, slated for a 7:00 p.m., start.

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Team Stats

Paige Wilberding

Sydney Presley

Mallory DeBoom

Hayley Engel

University of St. Thomas Athletics