Pirates Kick Off League Play with 2-0 Win Over Tulsa

Thursday, September 11

Greenville, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

3-3-2, 1-0-0

Tulsa

5-3-1, 0-1-0

Tulsa

East Carolina

September 11, 2025 | Soccer

Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina soccer team started American Conference play on a high with a 2-0 win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Thursday evening on Bill Clark Homes Field at Johnson Stadium. Alyssa Tucker and Caitlen-Star Dolan Boodram scored for the Pirates in the win.

The victory was head coach Emily Buccilla's first on the Pirate's home pitch.

The Pirates (3-3-2, 1-0-0 American) started off of the game on the front foot and largely never let up. The team amassed 14 shots in the first half alone, the most in a half for the team since having as many in the second half of a 4-0 win over George Mason back in 2023. And team was rewarded for their aggressive play early when Tucker finished a rebound on a corner kick just 2:32 into the match.

After Isabella Gutiérrez sent in a well-placed cross which Caitlen-Star Dolan Boodram headed on frame, Tulsa (5-3-1, 0-1-0 American) keeper Tatum Sanders was able to make a save but only as far as the head of the Raleigh native who tapped the ball back into the goal for a 1-0 lead. The goal was Tucker's second in the last three games and proved decisive to move ECU to 3-0-2 on the season when scoring the game's first goal.

The Pirates doubled the lead in the 64th minute on another set piece, this time from Molly Thomas who looped a ball in from the left side of the pitch to the left boot of Dolan Boodram who had boxed out a defender to get a clean first touch on the pass and lob it past Sanders for the score. The goal was the London, England native's fourth of the season and pushes her over 10 points in a season for the first time in her career. The assist was the first point of Thomas' career.

Tulsa entered the game as the top offense in the conference having amassed 23 goals scored entering the game and outscoring their opponents by nearly a goal and a half. That dynamic offense was held in check on Thursday, though they did contribute 14 shots, only four were on frame, all of which were saved by ECU keeper Olivia Dietrich who earned her second clean sheet of the season.

Dietrich was asked to make big plays on a couple of occasions in the game and rose to the moment each time, including a diving stop in the 45th minute and a remarkable kick save with 17 minutes to play. That last stop was on a breakaway in which Jordan Frederick got in behind and was one-one-one with the Broomfield, Co. native. It was a chance that on most other occasions results in a goal—Frederick entered the game with a team high eight goals—but on Thursday night the chance was saved.

With a win, the Pirates move to 3-1-0 on the season when outshooting their opponent. The team has now won four-consecutive American Conference openers. The victory was also the team's first on Bill Clark Homes Field as the team moves to 1-1-2 on their home turf in 2025.

Up Next: The Pirates enjoy a bye week on Sunday before traveling to take on South Florida for a 7 p.m. road contest next Thursday on ESPN+.