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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – While it may have taken a little longer to get started, the Southeast Missouri State soccer team put together another strong outing on the road on Friday night.
Three players scored goals as the Redhawks (3-1) posted their second-consecutive shutout win with a 3-0 victory at Evansville (1-4-1). The victory improves Southeast to 2-1 on the road in 2011.
Evansville had a slight statistical edge in the play during the first half. The Purple Aces held a slim lead in shots (5-4) and attempted four corners while holding Southeast without a corner kick in the opening 45 minutes.
Despite the statistical advantage, Southeast took a lead in the only statistic that mattered as Torey Byrd gave the Redhawks the lead in the 30th minute of play when she headed home a Jacey Boyko cross to make it a 1-0 contest at the break. The goal is Byrd's first of the young season.
"The team did not play up to its standard in the first half," Southeast head coach Heather Nelson said. "Our possession and team defensive shape was below average in comparison to recent performances. We did however manage to create some excellent scoring opportunities and Torey was successful attacking a cross that was served into the penalty area by Jacey."
That goal appeared to energize Southeast going into the second half. The Redhawks outshot the Purple Aces, 9-5, and held a 2-0 advantage in corner kicks in the final 45 minutes of play.
"Our possession was much improved in the second half," Nelson said. "We were better defensively and showed better composure in the final third."
More importantly, Southeast built upon its halftime lead with two more scoring strikes. Lauren Bozesky gave the Redhawks breathing room when her shot from the middle of the 18-yard box found the back of the net for her first goal of the year in the 49th minute to make it a two-goal contest.
Freshman Erin Shulman put the contest away with her team-leading fourth goal of the year in the 75th minute when she got behind the UE defense and fired one past goalkeeper Chaviel Harrison to cap the scoring.
Overall, the Redhawks outshot the Purple Aces by a 13-10 margin while Evansville held a 4-2 edge in corner kicks.
Ashton Aubuchon put together another perfect outing while earning her fourth consecutive start. The sophomore stopped all four shots in 78:56 in goal. Freshman Abby Jordan made her collegiate debut by clocking the final 11:04 in the net. She did not face a shot.
Southeast is off until Sept. 9 when it squares off against Butler in a neutral site match in Lexington, Ky.
