Clutch Mirly Goal Pushes Troy Past Jax State

Thursday, September 5

Troy, Ala.

7 p.m.

Troy University

3-0-2

Jacksonville State

3-2-0

Jacksonville St.

TROY

Clutch Mirly Goal Pushes Troy Past Jax State

9/5/2019 11:33:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. -- The red-hot Troy Trojans women's soccer team remained unbeaten Thursday evening, defeating Jacksonville State 2-1 in front of another raucous crowd at the Troy Soccer Complex.

Off to the program's best start since 2008, the Trojans (3-0-2) received a goal each from sophomore Nilou Asdigha and Grace Mirly. Goalkeeper Haleigh Mercer recorded four saves in the victory.

Early in the match the home side dominated possession, as the Trojans recorded the first six shots. Despite a few close calls, the Trojans couldn't seem to find the go-ahead strike.

That all changed in the 40^th minute, when senior Kate Lorenz made a beautiful run towards the goal and crossed a beautiful ball into the box that found classmate Kiersten Edlund.

Edlund took just one-touch and found a wide-open Asdigha, who deposited the ball into the back-of-the-net for her first career goal.

Following the brief respite from the uncomfortably hot temperatures at halftime, JSU (2-3) found the equalizer in the 54^th minute when Cynthia Bagozzi buried a rebound off a free-kick.

Looking to regain the lead, the Trojans began to dominate possession once again following the equalizer. In the 76^th minute, Troy's patience paid off, as a beautiful run and cross by Edlund, found a diving Mirly who headed the ball past the stunned Gamecocks keeper.

The goal proved to be the difference, as Troy held on for a gritty 2-1 victory.

Troy returns to action on Sunday evening at Auburn. Kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Auburn Soccer Complex. The match marks the beginning of a five-match road trip for the Trojans, the longest of the season.

GED TALKS:
"Tonight, for the first time all year, I don't think we played well, but we found a way to win. It was great for us to score first, but then we allowed a soft goal on a mental lapse. In the past two years, I think we would have gotten dejected and lost that game after that happened, but the girls are starting to have confidence in their ability to win and produce positive results. In the past it was a lot of 'well we hope to win'. Now we expect to win. I think we're finally imparting upon the girls the expectations that come with playing at Troy. It's a great school with every resource we need to be successful. So, the girls need to continue to raise the expectations and compete at a high level. If our team can continue to learn from the experiences, I think we'll continue to make huge strides. I'm very proud of the team for finding a way to win."

On the crowd's support:
"I thought the atmosphere tonight was absolutely fantastic. Clearly if you win games people get excited and look forward to coming to games. But we're so thankful that so many peoplein our community decided to come out on a Thursday night and watch us. I even found myself looking around during the game once or twice at how big a crowd it was. They made a huge difference for us tonight."

Sophomore Nilou Asdigha:
"Tonight we stuck together as a team and continued to fight. We really didn't want to let our teammates down. I think our senior leadership makes the difference for this team. They do a great job of pushing us in practice and on the field. Without their leadership we wouldn't be anywhere near the team we are right now. I think the leadership makes the difference with this team. "

Grace Mirly:
"I think the biggest difference this season is we've learned how to prepare, and how to put in the hard work. We're thinking what we do as team, rather than what can I do individually. I think there were moments tonight that showed just what this team is capable of moving forward."

NOTEWORTHY:
• The Trojans improve to 2-0 in night games played at Troy Soccer Complex.
• Troy has now scored first in all four matches they've scored at least one goal.
• The 3-0-2 start is the best since 2008 when the Trojans started 5-0-2.
• The five-match unbeaten streak is the longest since 2014, when Troy won eight consecutive matches.
• After scoring just 18 times last season, Troy has now tallied 13 goals this season.
• JSU's second-half goal was the first Troy had allowed all season.
• To this point, Troy has outscored its opponents 13-4 overall and 7-1 in the second half.
• Asdigha is the seventh different Trojan to record a goal so far this season.
• Thursday night marked the first action for Asdigha so far this season.
• 11 different Troy players have recorded at least one point.
• Edlund's two assists tonight were her team-leading seventh and eighth point of the year.
• Mirly's two goals this season are a new career-best.
• Mercer has allowed just four goals in nearly 400 minutes of action.