Rice University
5-2-1
Texas State
0-8-0
Owls Top Texas State 2-1
9/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Rice freshman Kate Edwards assisted on the Owls' first goal of the game and scored the game-winner in the 89th minute as the Rice soccer team claimed a 2-1 victory over visiting Texas State Friday evening at the Rice Soccer Stadium.
With the score tied and just over one minute remaining in regulation, Rice made the most of its offensive opportunity by converting on a corner kick. Senior Clory Martin drove the corner kick into traffic near the goalkeeper's box and found Edwards breaking clear from seven yards out. After two near-misses on shots earlier in the contest, her third shot of the night from close range found the back of the net. Not only did Edwards extend her team-leading goal total to six, she has scored in six of the Owls' last seven games and has two identical streaks of scoring in three-straight games.
Edwards also set up the Owls' first goal of the night to help the Blue & Gray take an early lead. In the eighth minute, the freshman served a long right-to-left crossing pass to Erin Scott sprinting inside the 18-yard line. Scott only needed a quick touch to settle the ball and blast away on a shot from 10-yards out. She went to the right-side netting for her first goal of the season and an early 1-0 lead.
"Everyone is seeing Kate score goals every game, but she can really pass too," Scott said. "Her cross on my goal was awesome. I only needed one touch to shoot. I'm glad I finally got a goal. We're all working on being able to finish. If we just finish, things will get a lot better."
Rice held an 8-2 advantage in shots in the first half and stretched the margin even further in the second, but Texas State would not go away so easily. The Bobcats tied the game in the 74th minute when Curry Britney made a long pass to Jerelyn Lemmie on the left wing, who then punched in a shot to the low right corner. The game was suddenly deadlocked at 1-1 with just over 16 minutes left in regulation.
Scott came close to notching the go-ahead goal in the 88th minute, but her shot attempt hit the left post. The ball caromed past the endline to set up a Texas State goal kick, but Edwards won that ball and alertly deflected it over the endline off a Bobcat defender. The play set up Martin's corner in the 89th minute.The Owls improved to 5-2-1 on the year. Texas State fell to 0-8-0.
"One thing we can point to is that we're learning," Rice head coach Chris Huston said. "A week ago at Mississippi State we led early, gave up a late goal to tie the game then lost in overtime because we couldn't get ourselves focused to come back and win. Tonight we had a similar situation, except this time we didn't let it get to us. We made sure to work that much harder and win the game. It's a work rate I know were capable of maintaining for an entire game, which is what I really want to see, but we're on the learning curve."
Rice next plays on the road at No. 3 ranked Texas A&M on Sunday (Sept. 23). Start time of the match is set for 6 pm in College Station.
"(Sunday's game) is a great opportunity for us," Huston added. "The team needs to be rested on Saturday, but that will be tough because they are going to be excited about Sunday. Rest is important in order to be able to play their best. We will need to be at our very best for 90 minutes."
Team Stats
Erin Scott (1)
Assisted By: Kate Edwards
10 yards out on left side to low right c
7:14
Lemmie, Jerelyn (1)
Assisted By: Curry, Britney
give-and-go from long cross to low right
73:16
Kate Edwards (6)
Assisted By: Clory Martin
off a corner kick
88:48
