CHARLESTON, S.C. – In spite of a brilliant response from
Elisa Fuentes to even the match midway through the second half, The Citadel (3-4-1, 0-1-0 SoCon) faltered in the the program's Southern Conference kickoff against ETSU (6-2-2, 1-0-0 SoCon), surrendering a go-ahead goal to the Buccaneers with less than eight minutes remaining en route to a 2-1 defeat Thursday evening at WLI Field.
Overall, the ETSU attack proved relentless throughout the match, as the Bucs concluded the contest with advantage in shots (21-to-6), shots-on-goal (13-4) and corner kicks (4-to-3). The Bulldogs staunch defensive effort held up across a competitive opening period, entering the midway break at nil-nil; the Buccaneers came out swinging, though, initially scoring in the 50' on a well-crafted pass-and-strike into the box.
Senior captain
Elisa Fuentes offered her response less than nine minutes later, though, taking advantage of a free kick at the edge of the ETSU box to drill home a shot into the upper left corner, evening the match at a 1-1 mark. Following the score, though, the Buccaneer offense took over, peppering The Citadel keeper
Zoe Santos with attempts until, in the 83', a counterattack yielded the difference-maker.
Individually,
Alice Williamson led the pack yet again with three shots, utilizing her height to direct header attempts towards the net. Between the pipes, Santos composed a strong performance over 90 minutes of action, swiping 10 saves on the day to match her previous career high.
-- #MarchingForward --
