LAREDO, Texas – Texas A&M International University women's soccer battled #6 Nova Southeastern through a tightly contested opening half before the Sharks pulled away late for a 3-1 victory Saturday at Dustdevil Field.
TAMIU (0-2) and Nova Southeastern (2-0-1) entered halftime level at 1-1, with Milly Garcia providing the equalizer for the Dustdevils.
Nova Southeastern opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Maria Jansen found the back of the net to give the Sharks a 1-0 advantage.
The Dustdevils responded in the 33rd minute. Garcia, who entered as a substitute in the 29th minute, scored her first goal of the match and brought TAMIU level at 1-1.
TAMIU generated several opportunities during the opening 45 minutes. Riley Brown hit the woodwork in the 24th minute before forcing a save moments later, while Arianna Arboleda put another attempt on frame in the 36th minute. The Dustdevils matched the Sharks with five shots in the first half.
Nova Southeastern regained the lead in the 56th minute when Genesis Hernandez scored off an assist from Lova Korpas to make it 2-1. Garcia nearly answered four minutes later, but her attempt was saved by Sharks goalkeeper Ewa Sikora.
The Sharks added an insurance goal with 31 seconds remaining as Hernandez recorded her second goal of the match to secure the 3-1 final.
TAMIU finished with six shots, including four on goal, while Nova Southeastern recorded 12 shots and seven on target. Garcia led the Dustdevils with two shots on goal and the team's lone goal, while Brown and Arboleda each recorded two shots. Goalkeeper Maria Melendez played all 90 minutes and finished with four saves.
The loss moves the Dustdevils to 0-2 on the season, while Nova Southeastern improves to 2-0-1.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT:
Milly Garcia provided a spark off the bench for the Dustdevils, scoring TAMIU's lone goal in the 33rd minute to level the match at 1-1. Garcia finished with two shots, both on goal, and accounted for half of TAMIU's four shots on target. Garcia entered the match in the 29th minute and needed less than four minutes to find the back of the net.
Milly Garcia is a freshman forward for Texas A&M International University and is currently pursuing a degree in Early Education. A native of Laredo, TX, Milly is the daughter of Rachel Carranza and Felix Garcia and was born on August 8, 2008.
