COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team scored a 1-0 win over Ouachita Baptist on Thursday evening. The Lions controlled the ball for much of the game and were able to punch in the goal they needed to win.
 
The win bring the Lions to 2-0-1 on the season, while the Tigers fall to 1-2-0 on the year.
 
A&M-Commerce returns to action on Sunday with a home match against Emporia State. The match will be played at Noon at the Lion Soccer Field. Tickets to all Lion home matches can be purchased by visiting WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756, by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House during business hours or by purchase at the gate.
 
QUOTES AFTER THE GAME
Head coach Neil Piper (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiqhLMueiL0)
- On the team performance: I thought from the get-go, we took control of the game. That is the first time this year that we have done that. It was definitely our best performance so far. Obviously being at home in front of our crowd helped a lot. The only downfall was we probably should have been up by two or three at half, but we kept them in it. But we had some good saves in the second half and kept them at bay.
- On the offense: It started to look more like what we want. We were more dangerous than we have been in previous games. We looked like we had a clue about what we were doing. The first two games, we were just out there. Today we had a plan and for the most part did well. We should have scored more on some of those corners but I'll take a win.
 
Junior Kara Blasingame (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7n9xQAFKLQ)
- On being back at home: "It felt awesome to play at home. We had not played at home in almost a year on our field. To have that night-time crowd, you really can't beat it.
- Her thoughts on the goal: "It's really been a goal of mine to contribute more for the team. I've been working a lot this summer on shooting and being able to be a bigger part of the team offensively. I'm happy that I could help my team out and we could get this win today.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions outshot OBU 20-9 in the match, the first time this season the Lions have won total shot attempts.
- Kara Blasingame (Oswego, Ill.) pushed in her first goal of the season in the 33rd minute. She found space and blasted the ball into the net with her right foot.
- Skylar Sorrell (Monroe, La.) assisted on the goal, her first assist of the season and had a shot on goal.
- Kasey Sorbers (Rowlett - Sachse) and Leslie Campuzano (Garland - Lakeview Centennial) also had shots on goal. Naomi Sink (Plano - Plano East Senior) had a shot go off the cross bar.
- Jen Peters (Allen) had her third consecutive shutout, saving all four shots on goal.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions took control of possession early and held possession for much of the first half. The Lions earned an early corner kick and had three shots all just miss the goal in the first two minutes of the half.
 
Peters made a save in the ninth minute as the Tigers found some space. The Lions continued to control possession, firing multiple shots early in the half that were off the mark. The Lions also were able to earn several corner kicks in the first half, allowing them opportunities to attack.
 
Sorrell had a shot on in the 30th minute that was saved by the OBU keeper. The Lions capitalized on their next chance. Sorrell found Blasingame down the left side of the pitch. Using her speed, Blasingame switched the ball from her left to right foot, finding space to fire the ball at the net. The ball met nylon in the upper right corner as the keeper could not react in time, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead.
 
The Lions had 10 corner kicks in the first half and had 13 total shots in the half, while OBU had five.
 
The Lions had an opportunity to add to their lead in the 70th minute as a shot from Sink hit off the cross bar. The Lions found the rebound but a second shot was high and missed the net.
 
Peters made a save in the 79th minute as the Tigers made one final push to tie the game. However, the Lion defense clamped down to end and they came away with the win.