Troy University Athletics
Trojans Battle, Fall 1-0
10/10/2008 5:00:00 AM | Soccer
TROY ? Ashley Branham recorded a season-high 13 saves, but she allowed one to reach the net off the foot of Taryn Hemmings and it ended up being the game-winner with the Trojans falling 1-0 to league-leader Denver in Sun Belt soccer action.
Denver (12-1-1) out shot Troy 21-to-8, but managed just the one goal which came in the 33rd minute of the first half.
Troy (6-6-2) got a quality opportunity in the second half, when following a foul, the Trojans' Bridget Duke ripped a set piece off the cross bar and the rebound bounced in front of Jill Pinder.
Pinder touched the ball with her left foot, but her shot went just left of the goal. Pinder and Duke led the Trojans in shots with three and two, respectively.
Hemmings led the offensive charge for the Pioneers with six shots, four on goal. Lizzy Carlson added five shots for her side, while Kari Storslett recorded four shots of her own.
Troy head coach Chris Bentley has been preaching to his girls that if they continue hard they will continue to improve.
“What we have been telling the girls is that these are games where if we fight for 90 minutes it will make us better down the road. Unfortunately, we came out on the losing end today, but we played hard. Give credit to Denver, they have great athleticism and Hemmings was a handful,” he said.
With his team's effort and play on Friday he thinks there will be direct results, but still saw room for improvement.
“We should come out of this with confidence knowing that we can compete with the best teams in the conference. Ultimately to get better we need a little more team defensive effort.
Offensively, we need to take advantage of our chances. Pinder had a shot today, but couldn't convert. We are close we just need to do a little bit more,” he said.
The Trojans will be back in action on Sunday when they play their final home match of 2008 against North Texas. Troy will recognize their four seniors prior to the contest. Admission to all home soccer matches is free.
Denver (12-1-1) out shot Troy 21-to-8, but managed just the one goal which came in the 33rd minute of the first half.
Troy (6-6-2) got a quality opportunity in the second half, when following a foul, the Trojans' Bridget Duke ripped a set piece off the cross bar and the rebound bounced in front of Jill Pinder.
Pinder touched the ball with her left foot, but her shot went just left of the goal. Pinder and Duke led the Trojans in shots with three and two, respectively.
Hemmings led the offensive charge for the Pioneers with six shots, four on goal. Lizzy Carlson added five shots for her side, while Kari Storslett recorded four shots of her own.
Troy head coach Chris Bentley has been preaching to his girls that if they continue hard they will continue to improve.
“What we have been telling the girls is that these are games where if we fight for 90 minutes it will make us better down the road. Unfortunately, we came out on the losing end today, but we played hard. Give credit to Denver, they have great athleticism and Hemmings was a handful,” he said.
With his team's effort and play on Friday he thinks there will be direct results, but still saw room for improvement.
“We should come out of this with confidence knowing that we can compete with the best teams in the conference. Ultimately to get better we need a little more team defensive effort.
Offensively, we need to take advantage of our chances. Pinder had a shot today, but couldn't convert. We are close we just need to do a little bit more,” he said.
The Trojans will be back in action on Sunday when they play their final home match of 2008 against North Texas. Troy will recognize their four seniors prior to the contest. Admission to all home soccer matches is free.
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