MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Sept. 4, 2018) â€" After two delays which bookended a change in playing location, the Milligan College women's soccer team settled in to play a dominating 45 minutes of soccer, scoring three goals in the second half en route to a 5-2 win over King University Tuesday.
 
Teams were originally scheduled to play a 5 p.m. match at King. However, a lightning delay and the forecast of further inclement weather forced teams to move the match to a 7:30 p.m. start at Anglin Field. Milligan (1-2-1) and King (0-3) were tied 2-2 at the break before Milligan netted three goals in the second half to run away victorious.
 
THREE BUFFS FIND BACK OF THE NET
Junior Bekah Cundiff and sophomore Ashlen Burch scored two goals apiece while Poppy Smith notched her first goal of the season and added an assist. Amy Olvera was credited with two assists, and Alex Thomas had one assist.
 
The first few minutes went relatively back and forth, with both teams earning a couple of scoring chances. Dharma Fawbush nearly scored twice in the early going, but it was Cundiff who put the Buffs on the board first, scoring off an assist from Thomas in the 14th minute.
 
King responded with a goal in the 31st minute only to see Burch score her first goal of the match in the 40th minute, making it 2-1. King had the last word in the first half, scoring one off the crossbar via a direct free kick with less than a minute left before halftime.
 
BUFFS STEP UP IN SECOND HALF
With the match even at 2-2, Cundiff once again provided the Buffs the initial spark, scoring after Olvera found her on a breakaway. The goal proved to be the match winner as Milligan held King scoreless in the second half.
 
Similar to the Buffs scoring in the first half, Burch followed Cundiff with another goal five minutes later. Smith earned the assist with a nice pass over the top of King's defense, and Smith would round out the scoring in the 73rd minute with one she placed off the crossbar, assisted by Olvera.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Milligan outshot King 16-11, including 9-6 on shots on goal. The Buffs doubled the Tornado on corner kicks, 8-4. Goalkeeper Eva Bower, the reigning Appalachian Athletic Conference defender of the week, posted four saves compared to four saves from King's Hannah Clements on the other end.
 
UP NEXT
Milligan hits the road for its AAC opener Saturday, Sept. 5, against No. 15 Tennessee Wesleyan University. The next home match for the Buffs is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 5 p.m. against new AAC member Columbia International University.

ðŸ"·: Robert Kell, Creative Story Visuals