MILLIGAN, Tenn. – Milligan University's women's soccer team took the pitch on their home field for the first time in their 2026 campaign Tuesday evening. The Lady Buffs welcomed the West Virginia Tech Golden Bears to Anglin Field for the home opener. After MU jumped ahead 2-0 in the early stages of the tilt, WVU Tech answered with back-to-back goals of their own, and an 85th-minute free kick goal eventually moved the Golden Bears past the Buffs by a final score of 4-3.
The Milligan offense was clicking on all cylinders to begin the game, finding the back of the net in the first ten minutes of the first half.
Natalie Roper got the scoring started after the first two Milligan shot attempts missed the mark. Roper received a pass from
Selma Salimi and did the rest of the work herself on the goal, as she found space 20-plus yards outside of the WVU Tech box and laced a right-footed shot that sailed over the back line of the defense and into the top right corner of the goal. Over the next twenty minutes, the Golden Bears looked to respond with two shots that ended on target but were snatched up by
Christain Davis. The next opportunity for the Buffs came when
Halle Steele poked the ball away from WVU Tech near their box and found
Selma Salimi, who capitalized with a shot that resulted in the first goal of her young career, putting the Buffs ahead 2-0. However, just as it appeared everything was going Milligan's way, West Virginia Tech quickly shifted the momentum by knifing through the defense and scoring a goal just 17 seconds after the Milligan goal. The Golden Bears continued that momentum by adding a second tally just before the end of the half to even the score going into halftime.
In the second half, Milligan regained their composure and kept the ball in the offensive half early on. Nine minutes in,
Diane Maillis found herself with an opportunity and looked to put Milligan back ahead with a shot on target, but the WVU Tech goalie came away with the save. Five minutes later, Salimi returned the favor to Steele by sending a through ball that put Steele one-on-one with the Golden Bears keeper. Steele dribbled past her and sent a shot into an empty net to put Milligan ahead 3-2. The two sides would exchange shots over the next 15 minutes with neither side finding the mark, until the Golden Bears found the equalizer in the 75th minute when a takeaway near Milligan's box led to a cross that resulted in a goal. From there, after two Milligan attempts were saved by the West Virginia Tech goalie, it looked as if the match was headed for a 3-3 draw. However, West Virginia Tech had one last attempt after they were awarded a free kick that was taken advantage of with an 85th-minute goal to give them their first lead of the game at 4-3. The Buffs had one final attempt from
Kylie Malone that sailed just over the net, resulting in a 4-3 loss for Milligan in their home-opening match.
Overall, West Virginia Tech led with 23 shots in the contest, with eight of those being on goal, while the Buffs were able to put seven shots on target in 13 attempts. The Golden Bears also held the advantage in corner kicks with eight compared to the Buffs' four.
Freshman
Selma Salimi led the Buffs offense in her first game at Anglin Field, scoring or assisting on all three of the Milligan goals.
Natalie Roper and
Halle Steele each scored a goal on two shots, while Steele also added an assist.
Kylie Malone led the team in total shot attempts with three, and
Diane Maillis attempted two shots to round out the Buffs' attempts.
Davis saved four of the eight shots that were sent on target and picked up the loss to move to 0-2 on the season.
The Lady Buffs (0-2) look to right the ship when they travel to Dalton, Ga., to take on Dalton State. That match will take place on Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. and will serve as the final tune-up match ahead of Appalachian Athletic Conference play when the Buffs will face (RV) Tennessee Wesleyan University on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
