LEBANON, Tenn. – The Milligan University women's soccer team fell in their season-opening match Saturday afternoon on the road against No. 19 Cumberland (Tenn.) University, as an offensive attack from the formidable Phoenix resulted in two second-half goals to defeat the Buffs 2-0.
In the opening half, Cumberland began at a frantic pace, attempting five shots in the first 15 minutes. Just five minutes into the game, the Phoenix had a threatening opportunity on a free kick just outside the box that was on target but was saved by
Christain Davis, who was making her first start between the pipes for the Buffs. Ten minutes later,
Diane Maillis settled a cross into the box and fired Milligan's first shot of the game, which sailed just left of the target. Davis made another save later in the half when a long ball played her one-on-one with a Phoenix striker, and she came up with a diving stop. Davis continued to anchor the Buffs' defense as the half wound down, saving four of Cumberland's ten shot attempts, while Maillis's shot remained the Buffs' only attempt of the half. The Phoenix also held the advantage in corner kicks, six to the Buffs' one.
In the second half, the Cumberland pressure eventually broke through. Less than a minute into the half, a takeaway in the Buffs' zone led to a shot from the corner of the box that sailed into the back corner of the net, giving the Phoenix a 1-0 lead. With 25 minutes to play, the Phoenix extended their lead to 2-0 after a free kick from 20-plus yards was sent on a rope into the net.
Overall, the Phoenix led with 31 shots in the contest while the Buffs had three attempts off the boots of Maillis,
Lauren Hawkley and
Natalie Roper.
Davis saved eight of the 10 shots that were sent on target and picked up the loss to move to 0-1-0 on the season.
The Lady Buffs (0-1-0) will have a quick turnaround, returning to action on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 5 p.m. against West Virginia Tech University, which represents their first home match of the season at Anglin Field.
