DALTON, Ga. – On Friday evening, Milligan University's women's soccer team traveled to Dalton, Ga., for a matchup with non-conference foe Dalton State College. The contest marked the Buffs' final non-conference matchup ahead of their Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) slate. In a contest that saw the Dalton State offense pressure Milligan's defense throughout, the Buffs left Georgia with a scoreless draw despite being outshot 22-3.
Dalton State came out firing in the first half, pressuring the Buffs' goalkeeper from the opening whistle. Just two minutes into the match, the Roadrunners tested
Christain Davis with a shot on net, forcing an early save. Dalton State kept the pressure on, registering two more shots on target in the third and seventh minutes. The Buffs had their first real chance in the 12th minute, but
Grace Baldwin's attempt was blocked by a Roadrunner defender. By halftime, Dalton State had compiled 10 shots to Milligan's lone attempt from Baldwin, and the Roadrunners also held a 6-0 edge in shots on goal.
Dalton State nearly broke through five minutes into the second half when a shot rang off the crossbar, but Milligan's defense settled in from there, holding the Roadrunners without another shot on goal for the next 15 minutes. In the 65th minute,
Sarah Buckner created enough space to fire the Buffs' second shot of the game, though it sailed wide of the goal. Down the stretch, Milligan had two more chances to break the deadlock: a
Selma Salimi shot that was blocked and fell to
Halle Steele, whose follow-up attempt narrowly missed the target. A
Natalie Roper corner kick in the 88th minute marked Milligan's final scoring chance, while Dalton State answered with back-to-back shots in the 89th minute that sailed off target, sealing the 0-0 draw.
Overall, Dalton State led the contest with 22 shots, nine of which were on goal, while the Buffs registered five attempts. The Roadrunners also held the edge in corner kicks, seven to the Buffs' three.
Milligan's five shots came from five different Buffs, as
Selma Salimi, Diane Mailis,
Grace Baldwin,
Sarah Buckner, and
Halle Steele each registered an attempt.
Christain Davis saved all nine shots she faced on goal, moving her season record to 0-1-2.
The Lady Buffs (0-1-2) will now turn to AAC play, opening the conference slate at Spartanburg Methodist on Saturday, Sept. 12, in Spartanburg, S.C.
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