APSU Sports Information
Little Rock, AR – Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s soccer team fell to Little Rock, 3-1, Friday, August 31st, 2018 at the Coleman Sports Complex.
Austin Peay (3-1) dropped its first match of the season after winning the opening three.
The Govs nearly went in front after just 20 seconds, but Claire Larose put her shot wide.
In the fifth minute, the Trojans (3-1-1) took the lead off an own goal in the box. The goal was the first one allowed by the Govs all season.
The Govs responded well, with Abby Therell getting forward from defense and having a strike on goal, but hitting it high. Morgan Drawdy was next up for the Govs, as she posted the first shot on target, but had her effort saved by the Trojan goalkeeper.
The Trojans had taken only one shot up until the 27th minute, but were able to double their lead as their leading scorer Jaclyn Purvine found the net with a simple finish after a cross came into the box.
The Govs came out pressing in the second half, with Therell and Gybson Roth each having a shot on target, but the ball would not go in.
The Trojans continued to hold out defensively and added the killer goal in the 82nd minute, with Astros Luckas scoring off an assist from Purvine.
The Govs did pull one back, with Katie Kenward scoring from a header just three minutes later, but it proved too little too late for the Govs, as the game finished 3-1.
Notably
- Katie Kenward becomes the second player this season for the Govs have at least one goal and one assist (Morgan Drawdy)
- Head coach Naomi Kolarova has used a different starting lineup in every match this season so far
- The Govs are now 3-1 against Little Rock all-time
- The Govs were outshot for the second time this season (10-9)
- Despite being outshot, the Govs had an edge in shots on goal (5-4)
- Austin Peay has scored eight goals this season, four in the first half of matches and four in the second half
Naomi Kolarova’s Thoughts
On the match overall:
“We knew this team would be fast and strong. They were clinical in their couple chances on goal tonight. We actually created more chances, however we could not find the back of the net.”
“Despite the result, I thought we played well tonight. We possessed better than we have previously, we marked tighter, and played higher pressure. Those were things we talked about before the match and we did them. We showed fight and intensity for the whole 90 minutes and kept creating chances. We kept battling despite the scoreline and we got one late because of it. It just didn’t go our way tonight.”
On the next match:
“The girls fought hard and I am proud of their work rate and attitude. Now we have to look towards a tough opponent in Mississippi State, Sunday, and see if we can get a positive result there.”
The Govs return to action, 1:00pm, Sunday, to take on Mississippi State. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network+ through WatchESPN.
