CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Citadel (0-1-1, 0-0-0 SoCon) fell to Southern Utah (2-1-0, 0-0-0 Big Sky) via a 1-0 final mark early Monday afternoon at WLI Field, surrendering the Thunderbirds' lone goal amidst a competitive defensive showing from keeper
Zoe Santos -- nine saves on 13 shots for the day -- and the Bulldogs' back line.
First Half
- Southern Utah's early offense tested The Citadel's defense with Gracen Blieschke, Sicily Clark, and Halle Cowan each firing shots on goal by the 13th minute, all saved by Santos.
- The Citadel responded with
Samantha Grantham hitting the top woodwork at 17:45 and forcing a save from Tatum Trout shortly after at 17:53.
- Sophia Memory broke the deadlock for Southern Utah at 41:43, assisted by Ashtyn Ivey, as the visitors scored a one-goal edge.
- The Bulldogs went into halftime trailing 1–0 despite attempts to equalize, including a shot from
Emily Wash that went wide left at 43:28.
Second Half
- Santos made a crucial save at 63:15 to deny Southern Utah's Gracen Blieschke.
-
Alixandria Fletcher had a series of attempts around the 69th minute, with shots missing the target at 67:35 and 73:35.
- At 76:50,
Avery Lang's penalty kick was saved by Southern Utah's Tatum Trout, keeping the Bulldogs off the scoreboard.
Santos recorded season highs in both save (9) and shots faced (13), running between the pipes for the complete 90 minutes of active play. Grantham contributed offensively with two total shots, one of which was on target, while Fletcher led the team with four total attempts.
"We knew Southern Utah was a good team and dangerous on the counterattack, so we wanted to stay organized and protect the deeper areas of the field," head coach
Ciaran Traquair said. "It was probably one of the hottest games I've ever competed in, but I thought the group handled the conditions well and kept battling. We created chances when we chased the game in the second half, but ultimately we made one mistake before halftime and didn't take advantage of our opportunities. We'll take the things that worked well for us and carry them into a tough road match at Kennesaw State."
The Bulldogs return to the road to take on Kennesaw State on Friday, Aug. 21, kickoff slated for 1 p.m.
For the latest information on The Citadel soccer team, visit CitadelSports.com and follow @CitadelWSoccer on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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