MILLIGAN, Tenn. – Milligan University's women's soccer team was at home on Saturday afternoon, as they hosted AAC opponent Columbia College. Coming into the contest, the Buffs had won their only AAC home game of the year, and after a scoring outburst in the second half, that record moved to 2-0 as they defeated the Koalas 4-0.
The Milligan offense was clicking early in the contest. Less than five minutes in,
Lauren Hawkley took the first shot of the game that ended up on net. In the 6th minute,
Kara McDaniel picked up right where she left off after scoring the game-winning goal in the last contest, as after a beautiful cross through the box from
Natalie Roper, McDaniel put the Buffs ahead 1-0 with a shot into the back of the net. The Buffs continued to pressure the Koala defense following the goal, and in the 23rd minute,
Raelyn Muniz put a header on target after a corner kick from
Kylie Malone, but it was stopped by a Koala defender. The Koalas had their best chance of the first half late in the 42nd minute, as a header of their own sought to equalize the match, but Milligan's Christian Davis was able to make the save to preserve the 1-0 lead for Milligan going into the break. Overall, Milligan created nine opportunities to take a shot with two of them ending up on goal, while the Koalas compiled four shots with one on target.
The Buffs were eager to extend their advantage, as their offensive pressure was resulting in dangerous shots, including one off the post from Hawkley. However, it looked like the same storyline that has plagued the Buffs before — opportune chances without goals to show for them — was about to repeat itself. That is, until McDaniel connected with
Halle Steele, who scored a header to extend the lead. Less than thirty seconds later, Steele returned the favor by finding McDaniel in the box to increase the Milligan lead to 3-0. The Buffs were not done yet — within two minutes of the Steele goal,
Diane Maillis found a golden opportunity off a rebounded shot and capitalized with a strike past the Koalas' keeper to make it 4-0. Following the offensive onslaught, MU continued to apply pressure for the remainder of the contest, but neither side was able to score, resulting in a 4-0 victory for Milligan.
Milligan outshot Columbia 23-9 on the afternoon and held an 8-to-4 advantage in shots on goal.
Lauren Hawkley and
Raelyn Muniz each led the Buffs with five shots, with Hawkley putting two on target.
Halle Steele followed with four shots, three of which found the target, to go along with a goal and an assist.
Kara McDaniel posted three shots, two on goal, while netting a brace and adding an assist on top of it.
Natalie Roper added two shots to go with an assist, while
Diane Maillis made the most of her lone shot, burying it for the Buffs' fourth goal.
Lorena Gonzalez,
Sophia Montiel, and
Angela Wachira each chipped in a shot to round out the Milligan offense.
Christain Davis made four saves to secure her fourth clean sheet of the season, and her record moves to 2-4-2 on the season.
Milligan (2-4-2, 2-2-1 AAC) will look to keep things rolling when they travel to Bluefield University on Wednesday, Sept. 30 for their next contest. First kick of that game is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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