ST. JOSEPH, MO. - The University of Sioux Falls soccer squad made some noise in the second half against the Missouri Western State University Griffons, scoring a goal, but it was not enough as the Griffons held onto a 2-1 victory in St. Joseph, Mo., on Sunday.
"[The Cougars] battled hard and have faced a ton of adversity these first few weeks of this season," Head Coach Brittany Domino said. "We have learned how to adapt and everyone on this team is contributing. We haven't gotten the results we wanted but we have faced some challenges and figured out how to get better from them. These first games have tested us in a variety of ways that will help us be stronger in conference."
The first half started sluggish for the Cougars, with the Griffons rattling off nine shots in the first 20 minutes of the contest. The Cougars were able to slow the Griffons down a bit, but the Griffons were able to capitalize in the 27th minute with a goal from Ashley Mathis. Mathis was able to strike again just before half time, scoring a goal in the 44th minute.
The Cougars were able to start the second half on a strong note when senior defender Lily Mckown fed the ball to freshman forward
Jaycie Dillenburg. Dillenburg got the ball to meet the net in the 53rd minute to cut the Cougars' deficit in half.
"All of our freshmen have been outstanding for us so far," said Domino. "We started four of them today and all five have gotten really good minutes in these first games. They are fitting in great and are all extremely coachable. They are only going to continue to get better. The biggest thing that they bring along with the rest of the group is their ability to adapt."
After the goal, the Cougars took three more shots for a potential equalizer, but were unable to capitalize, falling to the Griffons 2-1.
Leading the Cougars offensively was Dillenburg who scored the sole goal for the Cougars on two shots. Junior
Kassidy Graber, seniors
McKayla Philippi and
Becca Schmitz all recorded a shot for the Cougars.
With the non-conference slate concluded, the Cougars will return to the USF Sports Complex to take on Wayne State and Augustana in NSIC play on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
