Senior Michelle Johnson scored in the 72nd minute to send Austin Peay State University women’s soccer team to a 1-0 win against Lipscomb, Monday night. The win makes the Lady Govs 2-0 for the first time in program history.
Despite holding possession for most of the match, the Lady Govs could not break through a resilient Lipscomb defense. Austin Peay put up 12 shots, with four on goal, in the first half and already had five more shots when Johnson struck in the game’s final 20 minutes.
“This is very exciting, “Johnson said. “We’ve been working really hard this year and we’ve got a lot of talent on this team. All the freshmen have contributed and we’ve been creating a lot of scoring opportunities. This is good momentum for our team; it’s looking better every day.”
After Johnson’s goal, the Lady Govs turned their focus to denying Lipscomb (1-1) for the game’s remainder. The Lady Bisons did not go quietly into the night, but rather forced the Austin Peay defense into some tough situations. Danielle Bethke managed a hard shot from the left side in the 76th minute, but it was stopped by Austin Peay keeper Carley Newman – one of her two saves.
“Lipscomb was a fight all the way through,” said head coach Kelley Guth. “It’s always a battle with them. It was a great game and good challenge for our team. They really threatened us at the end, but we did a good job making adjustments and preserving the shutout. Michelle scored a beautiful goal; she fought through the defense and found the back of the net.”
Austin Peay outshot Lipscomb 21-3, which was the second straight game with more than 20 shots. Freshman forward Emily Kink had four shots on goal, while Andy Quiceno had three shots on goal. Johnson and senior Samantha Northrup each had four shots, one on goal.
