UHSP Earns First AMC Win on Senior Night

It was senior night for the Eutectics women's soccer team on Saturday as the Euts played host to the Williams Baptist University Eagles (Ark.) for an American Midwest Conference (AMC) matchup at Creve Coeur Soccer Complex. Three different seniors marked the final home game of their collegiate careers with goals in the team's 4-2 victory over the Eagles (0-10-1, 0-3-1 AMC). Seniors Ashton Aguirre, Katlyn Akers, and Emily Sitkowski each notched a goal in the victory, along with newcomer Lauren Harding. It was the first Conference win of the season for the Eutectics, who are now 2-6 overall and 1-4 in the AMC, and the first win over WBU since 2020.

Only five minutes after the pregame senior presentations, Ashton Aguirre blasted a loose ball up and over WBU goalkeeper Kerrigan Kinsey from 35 yards out for the first goal of the game and her third goal of the season. Nearly 11 minutes later, newcomer Lauren Harding, playing in her first collegiate soccer game, doubled the lead for the Eutectics. The play started with Katlyn Akers making a pass back from the right side to a centered Aguirre just outside the box. Aguirre played the ball to Harding who had found an opening on the left side of the box and scored on a one-touch shot to the lower left corner of the net. For the rest of the first half, the Eutectics took six more shots to the Eagles' two, but the scored remained 2-0 at the half.

It was less than three minutes into the second half when Emily Sitkowski lofted the ball from the right midfield area to Katlyn Akers, who was sprinting toward the Eagles' goal. Akers was able to dodge a defender and take an open shot from just outside the goal area on the left side, rolling the ball into the center of the net. Aker's fifth goal of the season gave the Eutectics a 3-0 lead over WBU with just over 42 minutes to play.

At 55:35, WBU's Nichole Craig finally marked the board for the Eagles by driving a free kick from 40 yards out off the gloves of UHSP goalkeeper Zoe Dixon and over her head into the net. Nearly 20 minutes later, the Eagles capitalized on a corner kick by Craig, who lofted the ball to a waiting Kenzie Hatman. Hatman was centered just a few yards in front of the goal line and needed only one touch to knock the ball in for the visiting team's second goal of the night.

Now leading by only one goal with 15 minutes left in the game, it was Emily Sitkowski who gave the Eutectics a little more cushion with the team's fourth goal of the night. The senior midfielder settled a loose ball from 35 yards out on the left side, then took a left foot to send the ball sailing just over Kinsey's hands into the net for her third goal of the season.

The Eagles were unable to put any of the three shots they took in the final minutes of the game on goal, and the Eutectics maintained their 4-2 lead through the final buzzer.

With the win, the Eutectics move into seventh place in the AMC standings with two conference road games left in the season. In one week, the UHSP team will head to local AMC rival Harris-Stowe State University before facing the number-one seed Columbia College on October 28.