Box Score LITTLE ROCK, Ark. ? Oral Roberts picked up a 2-0 non-conference win over the UALR women's soccer team on Thursday night at Burns Park behind goals from Tamara Waller and Emily Gagnon. The Trojans (5-13) enjoyed a 15-to-6 advantage in shots in the second half, but could not slip one past ORU goalkeeper Mandy Evans.
“It was a good game tonight. We played a much better second half. The shot ratio was about 3-to-1 in our favor in the second half, and we had a lot of chances to score, but to their credit we played against one of the best goalkeepers we've faced all season,” said UALR head coach Greg Hess. “We've had trouble scoring all year long though. Our scoring has seemed to come in bunches. Either we're scoring a few goals or we're not scoring at all. Tonight we just couldn't find a way to get the ball in the net.”
Evans recorded 10 saves and sustained a furious charge by the Trojans in the second half to secure the shutout ? recording seven saves after halftime. Senior Ashley Boccarossa came up with nine saves in the losing effort, while both teams had multiple shots hit off the crossbar.
The Golden Eagles (5-9-3) took a 1-0 lead when Gentry Detter fed Waller for her fifth goal of the season. ORU extended its lead to 2-0 three minutes into the second half when Gagnon scored her sixth goal of the year off an assist from Lindsey Cook.
UALR held a 22-to-19 edge in total shots for the game, though 11 of ORU's attempts came on goal (compared to 10 for the Trojans). Freshman Alison Davis (three) and sophomore Cindy Jenkins (two) accounted for five of UALR's 10 shots on goal.
The Trojans close out the regular season on Saturday with a 1 p.m. bout against in-state rival Arkansas State. A win on Saturday will guarantee the Trojans a spot in the 2006 Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
“The good thing for us is that it was a non-conference game that gave us some practice for our finale against ASU on Saturday,” said Hess. “It will be senior day and I think the girls will be excited. Hopefully we'll send our seniors off on a positive note and lock up our spot in the conference tournament.”
Saturday's contest will be the final home game for seniors Calah Wood, Ashley Boccarossa and Ariel Macpherson.
