COMMERCE– The No. 15 Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team defeated Central Oklahoma 2-1 on Sunday afternoon. The Lions scored the go-ahead goal in the 49th minute to break a streak of 14 matches without a win against UCO, dating back to 2001.
 
The win brings the Lions to 2-0 on the season, their first 2-0 start since the 2014 season. UCO drops to 0-2 on the season. The game was part of the Lion Soccer Classic, presented by Domino's, Holiday Inn Express and Best Western Plus of Greenville.
 
The Lions will conclude their three-match homestand to start off the season with a matchup against St. Mary's on Friday at 7 p.m. The game will be played at the Lion Soccer Field.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Senior Sophie Haywood scored the game-winning goal in the 49th minute. She got a pass from freshman Tori Smith in traffic and fired the ball into the right side of the net. It was Haywood's second goal of the season.
- Freshman Izzy Ward scored the first goal for the Lions in the 43rd minute. She took a free kick from 25 yards out and rifled the ball over the UCO goalkeeper to tie up the game.
- Junior Caitlin Duty made three saves on UCO's four shots on goal. She made a crucial save with three minutes to go in the match to keep the game from going to overtime.
- Eight of the nine shots for A&M-Commerce were on goal. Smith had a shot on goal to go with her assist. Michelle Kotlik, Leslie Campuzano, Delaney Bunselmeyer, Sabrina Munguia, and Cora Welch also had shots on goal.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a physical contest as both sides fought hard for possession of the ball throughout the contest. Each team had a corner kick in the early minutes of the game, but defenses were tight through the majority of the match. UCO had the first shot on goal in the 10th minute. However, Duty pushed the ball aside to keep the game scoreless.
 
For the next ten minutes, neither offense could get close enough to take a shot. Another shot by UCO in the 23rd minute was wide to keep the match scoreless. Campuzano had the Lion's first shot on goal in the 24th minute but it was saved by UCO's Kaitlyn Asher. Bunselmeyer also had a shot on goal in the 29th minute that could not get past Asher and the game remained scoreless.
 
UCO was the first team on the board. Kelsey Gordon took the ball and turned left to get around her defender and shot the ball into the net to give UCO a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute. Another shot on goal from Welch was knocked aside and the Lions still had to wait to find the net.
 
That all changed in the 43rd minute. After a foul, Ward took a free kick from 25 yards away. After taking two steps, she hammered the ball toward the net and caught the UCO goalkeeper off guard. The ball went over the keeper's head and found the back of the net to tie the game going into the half.
 
The Lions quickly took the lead in the first four minutes of the second half. After a shot from Munguia was blocked, Smith was there to get the rebound. She found Haywood, who got space from her defender and found the back of the net to give the Lions the 2-1 lead.
 
Smith had a chance of her own to get a goal. In the 51st minute a ball was placed in the box and she put her head on the ball, aiming it toward the goal. The UCO goalkeeper made a diving stop to keep the ball out of the net.
 
UCO started to play more aggressively in the final 15 minutes of the match, looking for the equalizing goal. The Lions tightened their defense to adjust. While UCO fired multiple balls into the Lion box, those were turned aside by Lion defenders, who fired the balls past the midline and away from the net.
 
One UCO attack found its way through the Lion defense in the 88th minute. A UCO player had a good look at the goal. However, Duty made a diving save to her left to keep the Lions in the lead for good.