In their final home exhibition of the preseason, the Creighton women’s soccer team fell one goal short in their attempt to erase a 3-0 first period deficit against the visiting Arkansas Razorbacks and falling 3-2. The up-and-coming Razorbacks had six shots on goal in the first 30 minutes and converted those shots into three goals as they jumped all over the Bluejays in the opening period.
Creighton head coach Bruce Erickson cited early nerves from his young team as a contributing factor in the early deficit.
“I thought we were a little apprehensive in our warm-up. You try to not build these games up so much, but the reality is their young adults and there is a bit of an aura around an SEC team,” he said. “I think we came out and found ourselves very much in the game, but in a game like that if you play a little bit tentative, you create some chances and don’t put them away you found yourself down 3-0, which we did,”
Arkansas’ leading scorer from 2012 got things started in the seventh minute as her shot from the right side deflected off a Bluejay defender and scooted by freshman goalkeeper Danielle Rice. Rice regained her composure and made two very difficult saves in front of the Creighton goal, but Arkansas would strike again.
In the 18th minute Arkansas forward Yvonne DesJarlais got free down the left side, chased down a cross from Evan Palmer, and fired a shot from 25 feet over Rice’s outstretched arms for a 2-0 lead. DesJarlais added another goal, this time unassisted, in the 26th minute.
Neither team scored in the second period, but Creighton didn’t take long to end that drought once the third period got underway, thanks to sophomore Kirstyn Corder. The transfer from New Hampshire retrieved a loose ball in front of a couple Arkansas defenders, dribbled to her right and sent a shot past a diving attempt by Arkansas keeper Taylor Erwin to cut the Razorback lead to 3-1 in the 62nd minute. Seventeen minutes later senior forward Lauren Cingoranelli trimmed the deficit to 3-2 after she fought the ball away from Erwin and two additional Arkansas defenders to score an unassisted goal.
While the Jays were unable to tie the game Erickson felt his team responded well to the early adversity
“We probably win or tie the game if we bury a couple of our chances in the first 30 minutes, and if we don’t manufacture a couple of chances for them like we did.”
Junior midfielder and team co-captain Madelyn Buckner echoed her coaches thoughts about the young team weathering the early storm and progressing as the game went on.
“With the game split into three [30-minute] periods we just had to take each third as a game. I think we improved over the next two-thirds of the game. I think [the freshmen] were a bundle of nerves and excitement with it being their first college game in this stadium. The nerves are good and with more experience that will settle down and we’ll come out not as apprehensive and more ready to dictate the play from the start.”
With the experience of playing a home game at Morrison Stadium under their belt, the team will now embark on their first road trip as they prepare to take on North Dakota State in their final exhibition game before beginning the regular season. The game against Bison is slated for a 1 p.m. start this Saturday, August 17.