East Carolina University
Tulsa
Pirates Drop 2-1 Overtime Decision to Tulsa
October 23, 2015 | Soccer
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - Sophomore midfielder Danielle Eule score in the fourth minute, but the East Carolina women's soccer team suffered a 2-1 overtime loss to Tulsa in American Athletic Conference action at Johnson Soccer Stadium on Friday night.
East Carolina (7-9-2, 2-5-1 AAC) showed a sense of urgency from the opening whistle, stealing the Golden Hurricane's possession at kickoff while keeping the ball at the opposite end of the field in the early moments.
The Pirates earned a corner kick just three-and-a-half minutes into the match, and just as Tulsa (13-4-1, 4-3-1 AAC) thought it was going to evade the threat, Eule sent a pass to the end line for senior defender Jackie Cajigal, who drew a pair of defenders and touched a pass directly back to Eule, who hammered a shot into the top right corner from 10 yards out to give ECU a quick 1-0 lead.
The goal was the first of Eule's career, while the assist marked Cajigal's first-collegiate point in her 57th match.
The entire first half was played at a fast pace by both clubs, with the ball moving to back-and-forth to each end of the field at high frequencies. Senior goalkeeper Saundra Baron made three stops to keep Tulsa off the scoreboard through the first 45 minutes, as the Pirates held their one-goal lead at the intermission.
Both sides took six shots apiece in the first half, while the Golden Hurricane owned a 3-2 edge in shots on goal and 7-3 advantage in corner kicks.
The battle for possession was evident for the first 25 minutes of the second half, before Tulsa began getting the ball into ECU's final third of the field. Leading goal-scorer Rachel Thun offered the first real scare of the evening when she struck a shot off the crossbar in 70th minute, but the East Carolina back line was able to clear, momentarily.
The Golden Hurricane got right back into its attack with a series of crisp passing from Tana Dake and Kajal Parmar, before serving the ball into the box to Christina Holmes, where she one-timed a shot into the back of the net to tie the match, 1-1, in the 72nd minute.
The final 18 minutes elapsed with a few close opportunities for ECU's front line, but those attempts were to no avail.
The match moved to overtime, where Tulsa wasted little time putting the pressure on the Pirates. Thun sent a long pass from the midfield into the box, finding Parmar who settled the ball with a defender marking her from behind, but was able to turn and strike a shot with her right foot from approximately eight yards out and past Baron for a golden goal just 33 seconds into the period.
The Golden Hurricane outshot the Pirates, 16-12, overall on the night, while holding an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal. Baron made six saves, while winning goalkeeper Courtney McKeon stopped four shots to earn the win.
East Carolina will close out its regular season on Sunday, Oct. 25 against Memphis. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on The American Digital Network.
