Following a record showing at home against Alabama on Friday, KSU found the confidence and the offense in a 9-0 victory against Alabama A&M Sunday afternoon. Despite a smaller crowd and gloomy weather, the Owls played a game worthy of the big stage.
“We were pleased with the performance on Friday,” said KSU soccer head coach Rob King. “We got together and spoke about what we wanted to do today and that would create plenty of chances and score some goals.”
The Owls got out to an early 2-0 lead, as freshman Danielle Gray scored early in the first half, capitalizing on a pass from teammate Iyani Hughes. Gray, who played defense in the Alabama game on Friday, moved up to forward and proved she is a valuable member to the Owls at both ends of the field.
“Danielle was key in the Alabama game playing center defender,” King said. “She’s a very good all around player. She can play anywhere in the back, midfield or up front. It was a great game for her.”
Katrina Frost scored the second mark, after receiving a pass from fellow senior Heather Joyce. Frost made a spin move around her defender and then rocketed a shot in the upper corner of the net, past the Lady Bulldogs goalkeeper Linda Aboagye.
The Owls continued their first half dominance, keeping the ball primarily on the Lady Bulldog’s side. Hannah Churchill put the Owls ahead three after ripping a shot from midfield that soared just over the goalkeeper’s arms.
The Owls took full command when Gray scored her second goal of the game, taking a pass from midfield and running right through the Alabama A&M defense, scoring on just her third shot of the game. KSU entered the locker room with a 4-0 lead at halftime.
“We wanted to keep our defense solid, but we wanted to get on the attack more and get in scoring positions.” Gray said.
KSU kept the pressure on, taking 15 shots in the second half, and forcing Alabama A&M to play strong defense on their side of the field.
The fifth goal came when Gray found teammate Julia Nelson on a cross, and Nelson hammered the ball into the back of the net from the top of the box. Minutes later, Gray scored her third goal of the game on a header. Nelson had a strong second half, scoring twice.
“It was a big team effort,” Gray said. “Everybody was working off each other so nicely, giving us an opportunity to score. We had more opportunities and we took advantage of a good number of them.”
Frost found Hughes on a cross inside the box, who kept it on the ground and put it past Oehler. Frost scored her second goal of the game with only seconds left on the clock, giving the Owls a 9-0 lead to end the game.
“We were able to generate a lot of offense against this team,” King said. “We were able to possess the ball nicely.”
“We haven’t played them in a number of years,” King said. “We’ll recover, and be in great shape come Friday night. It should be a great game.”
KSU’s next match is Aug. 24 against Georgia State.
