The Sioux Falls community packed the stands of the University of Sioux Falls Soccer Field Thursday night to witness Augustana edge out the Cougars in the first of many exciting matchups between the cross town rivals. The game had a fantastic atmosphere as the dual drew a crowd of greater than 450 fans.
USF begins the season, 0-1 and Augie moves to 1-0.
The teams were neck and neck through the opening 15 minutes play, as neither squad controlled the possession. However, a breakdown on defense by the Cougars led to an unassisted Katie Hurd goal at the 16:43 mark to send Augie up, 1-0.
The initial goal gave the Vikings momentum and they would turn up the pressure over the next 23 minutes of the half. With less than seven minutes to go in the opening period, Maren Werth served up a perfect corner kick that found the head of Mackenzie Trom, which proceeded to find the back left corner of the net.
Trom's goal gave Augie a 2-0 cushion into the half and would serve as the final score of the game.
USF showed resilience and a bit more aggressive play specifically on the defensive end in the second half, where they prevented several Augie attacks and held their own against a very good team.
"Today was a great opportunity for us to see where we are as a team," said head coach Mekonnen Afa. "We need to get better defensively, but I was happy with the way we were able to make adjustments in the second half and I'm confident we will continue to get better." For full post-game interview see the related links box.
Junior transfer Corrin Cook recorded two saves in her first start in net for the Cougars. The Sioux Falls product took her first loss of the season.
Augustana finished the game with a 10-4 shot advantage. Maria Gonzales, Melissa Daugherty and Kayci Huslig each placed a shot on goal for USF.
USF will look to bounce back Sunday, September 2 when they host Nebraska-Kearney in the first of Cougar double-header. The women kick off at 1 p.m. and will be followed by the men, who play at 3 p.m.
