Box Score MT. PLEASANT – For the first time in five years, the Wayland Baptist women's soccer team opened their season with a victory, defeating Texas A&M-Texarkana on a neutral field here Friday evening, 3-0.
"I'm very pleased we were able to come away with a win. The girls played really, really well," Wayland coach
Shiloh Posey said. "This is a shot in the arm for us. It's good to see how quickly things are gelling for us."
Against a team that went 14-6-1 last season and advanced to the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament championship, Wayland got goals from two newcomers –
Taylor Moore, a junior from San Angelo who redshirted last season, and
Trinity Rouse, a freshman from Baytown – plus an own goal aided by junior holdover
Megan Attenborough of England.
"It's been awhile since we scored three goals in a game," Posey said. "To start the season with such a good offensive outing is encouraging."
Wayland scored 16 goals all of last season, and the three goals Friday ties the most the Pioneers have ever scored in a season-opener. Wayland improves to 5-9-1 all-time in season debuts.
Facing Texas A&M-Texarkana for the first time ever, Wayland's first goal of 2018 came just 6½ minutes into the season when Moore played the ball from the left to the right side of the field, split two defenders 25 yards out and got a one-on-one with the Eagles' keeper, who managed to get a hand on Moore's second shot of the game, but it still found the net.
Wayland went up 2-0 some 13 minutes later. After a cross from freshman
Logan Ybarra, Attenborough and an A&M-Texarkana defender went up together. "Megan bodied her up and was able to cause a deflection to get the ball into the next," Posey said of what was ruled an own-goal.
The final score came with just under 8 minutes left in the match. Posey said Rouse was about 40 yards out, dribbled in some 20 yards and "created enough space for herself" to get the ball over the head of the Eagles' keeper.
The Pioneers took 17 shots, all but three of which were on-goal. Ten players were credited with shots, led by Attenborough with four and Taylor with three.
"We played everybody tonight, and I was really pleased with our all-around effort," Posey said. "I was happy with the contribution everybody was able to make. From the transfers, to the freshmen to the returners, everybody did what we asked them to do and it paid off."
Junior transfer
Kaitlyn Brantzeg played all 90 minutes in goal for Wayland and was credited with nine saves.
"Her hands were solid and her positioning was good. She put on a good show," Posey said of Brantzeg. "I was pleased with what I saw."
Texas A&M-Texarkana defeated all three Sooner Athletic Conference teams it faced last season, including Oklahoma City and Texas Wesleyan.
"They're ranked second in the Red River, so this was a good test," Posey said. "We have plenty of stuff to work on, but obviously we're pleased with the effort and the outcome we got tonight.
"Hopefully we can continue to build off that momentum."
Wayland remains in Mt. Pleasant to take on Northeast Texas Community College in a scrimmage at noon Saturday. The Pioneers' next match is Aug. 25 at Eastern New Mexico as part of a season-opening seven-contest road swing.
