Jackson, MS-
The Brenau University soccer team took on Belhaven University on Friday afternoon in a conference match. The Golden Tigers got a convincing win by the score of 4-1 and moved its' SSAC record to 2-1 on the season.
Although Belhaven dominated with 10 shots during the first period against seven for the Golden Tigers, the Blazers were not able to score. The Tigers, on the other hand demonstrated more control in the first half. Kirsty Smith andJenny Knibbs- both from Doncaster, England- had several nice attempts on goal early. However, it was the combination of Esther Anyanwu (Lagos, Nigeria) and Kayla Madsen of Gainesville, Ga that put the Golden Tigers on the scoreboard in the 36th minute- with Anyanwu getting the goal.
In the second half, Brenau stepped up their game, recording13 shots against 6 for the Blazers. Once again, it was Anyanwu in the 58th minute that scored, after dribbling around the goalkeeper and sliding the ball far post- this time unassisted. In the 70th minute, Belhaven's Ashley Harber brought the score to 2-1 with a header off of a corner kick from Laura Quintero. Minutes later, Brenau's Madsen- who assisted on the first goal- came up with one of her own on a well-timed strike from the top of the box. Brenau continued to attack for the rest of the match with several shots by Madsen, Monica Sanchez (Miami, Fla.), and Linda Chukwuji (Lagos, Nigeria). Belhaven's goalkeeper, Nicole Walsh, who recorded 12 saves during the game, was able to save a lot of those shots but not the one in the 89th minute - again by Madsen. Brenau's keeper, Tori Brown (Windermere, Fla.), had another confident performance with six saves for the match.
Brenau is currently 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the SSAC on the season. The Golden Tigers will play another conference game against the NAIA #8 ranked William Carey University Crusaders today at 5 p.m. CDT.
