Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s women’s soccer got two goals each from Tatiana Ariza, Morgan Zigelsky and Shelby Olszewski, Friday, August 16th, at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field, on its way to blowing out the Freed Hardeman Lions in an exhibition match, 9-0.
“We still have work to do,” Austin Peay coach Kelley Guth said. “We told them to celebrate the fact that we got this win and did some positive things, but we’re not going see another match like this on our schedule the rest of the way and they need to understand that.
“We take tonight for what it is – the positives and negatives of it – but we have work to do to get ready for Chattanooga and Appalachian State, because they are going to be games and they are going to come out ready to play and compete and we’re going to have to step things up a notch.”
Ariza scored the first two goals of the night for Austin Peay, giving the school’s all-time leading goal scorer four in the preseason, with the first coming 7:29 into the match – off assists from Zigelsky and Frankie Carbajal – and the second at the 13:10 mark off an assist from her sister Natalia.
“Coming out of the (August 14th) match versus Evansville we wanted to improve on out possession,” Guth said. “Tonight was a good opportunity to do work on that. We weren’t under a whole lot of pressure, but to be able to play quick and keep possession of the ball and be able to spread them out.”
Olszewski, who played basketball for the Lady Govs the past two years before moving back to soccer, would score her first of two goals at the 15:55 mark to make it 3-0 Austin Peay – as she blasted a shot off the left post and into the net off an assist from Carbajal.
“I’m excited to be back on the soccer field,” she said. “It’s been a lot of fun and I feel like I’ve made a pretty good transition, because It first I was scared about wither my touch was going to come back, but all the girls have been very supportive.”
Zigelsky made it 4-0 at 19:59, off the second assist of the night by Natalia Ariza, with Emily Anderson scoring the Lady Govs fifth goal with just under five minutes left in the first half – with an assist from Natalie Smith.
Austin Peay would close out the first-half scoring at the 41:04 mark, on an goal by Kate Siddall, with an assist to Claire Pultz.
In the second half, the Lady Govs scored to early goals in the first three minutes – with Zigelsky scoring an unassisted goal 2:08 seconds into the half and Gina Fabbro making it 8-0 less than a minute later on a goal assisted by Tatiana Ariza.
Olszewski closed out the night’s scoring in at the 64:56 mark, as she headed in a corner kick from Pultz for the 9-0 final.
“Shelby has been a great addition to the team from the moment she kind of walked into my door,” Guth said. “I could tell she was a kid that wanted to work hard and wanted an opportunity and I think she’s made the most of it so far.
“Today she scored two goals and really showed her presence in the air, and she’s a player that is very good in the air, and that’s something that’s not been one our strengths.”
The Lady Govs open up their regular season schedule August 23rd, as they travel to Chattanooga for a 6:00pm match.
Austin Peay’s first home regular season contest at Morgan Brothers Field will be on August 30th, versus Arkansas-Little Rock, as 7:00pm.
