Euts Come Alive in Second Half to Shutout Stars

ST. LOUIS, MO. - After a scoreless first half, the Eutectic women's soccer scored three goals by three different players in the second half to defeat the Stephens College Stars (Mo.) 3-0 in an American Midwest Conference (AMC) matchup in St. Louis on Tuesday afternoon.  

Both teams came into the contest with one win the Conference, but with their victory today, the Eutectics will remain in fourth place in the AMC standings as Stephens drops to seventh.  

It was a blustery day at Creve Coeur Soccer Complex, and when the Stars won the coin toss, they chose to shoot with the wind at their back in the first half. The wind pushed the ball toward the Eutectic end, as the visitors controlled the ball, taking three shots on goal and earning two offsides calls in the first 12 minutes. But, once the Eutectic squad settled in, the play evened out and the Purple and Gold were able to match the Stars with six shots apiece in the half. All six of UHSP's shots were on-goal, forcing Stephens' goalkeeper Grace Houchin to make six saves. Meanwhile, the Eutectics defended well, and goalkeeper Lauren Harding made no mistakes to notch five saves in the first half.

With a 0-0 score going into the second half, the Eutectics now had the wind at their back. But, the Stars came off the bench with renewed energy, controlling possession for much of the first 10 minutes. The Eutectic defense held them off until the offense found their groove, with striker Kyndal Adams getting several looks at the Stars' goal. Finally, in the 66^th minute, Gillian Clark chipped the ball past the Stars' defenders to Adams, who was ready and waiting. Adams sped to the ball, dribbled forward on the right side for a one-on-one with the goalie, and buried the ball in the lower right corner just out of reach of Houchin to mark the board for the Eutectics.

Adams' goal was the shot in the arm that the Eutectics' needed, bolstering the home team's confidence while undermining the Stars'. After several shots by Isabelle Rogers in the next 10 minutes, she eventually got the breakaway she needed. Rogers drilled one off the inside left post to double the lead (2-0) for the Eutectics with about 12 minutes left in the game.

Less than two minutes later, Alexa Hildebrand headed the ball off a Stars' goal kick to gain possession for the Eutectics. Then, after receiving the ball from Hannah Tyree, Hildebrand got by several defenders to dribble into position for a wide-open shot from 15-yards out on the right side. She lofted the ball across the front of the goal area into the net on the upper left side for UHSP's third goal of the day. With less than 10 minutes left on the clock, the goal effectively sealed the win for the Eutectics.        

Goalkeeper Lauren Harding had a perfect day in goal, making nine saves to earn her third shutout of the season. Stephen's Grace Houchin also made nine saves, but allowed three goals to be charged with the loss.     

The UHSP victory puts the team at .500 for the season so far, with five wins and five losses, snapping a two-year losing streak against Stephens. Now 2-1-0 in AMC, the Eutectics still have four Conference games left on the schedule before the AMC tournament in November.

Up next, the Euts will hit the road for an AMC matchup with sixth-ranked Williams Baptist University (3-9, 1-2 AMC) in Walnut Ridge, Ark., on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 1 p.m.