THE RECAP
For the first time in program history, the St. Mary's Rattlers knocked off No. 12 Angelo State in a thrilling 2-1 victory. The Rattlers played lockdown defense and got goals from Juni Ejere and Alexis Lawrence to spring the upset over the previously undefeated Belles.
The defense of both teams took over in the first half, rarely letting the ball move far into the opponent's half of the field. In fact, it was such a stingy game that there were only five shots on goal combined in the first half. Opening the second half, each team had more opportunities. A back and forth affair saw Juni Ejere made a move around the defender off of a pass from Miranda Narvaez and knocked the ball into the left corner of the net for the lead. Ejere's goal swung the momentum in favor of the Rattlers and energized the crowd.
However, the 12th ranked team in the country wouldn't go down without a fight. Angelo State answered back with a goal of their own in the 74th minute to tie the game.
Once the rattlers set back up at midfield, senior Alexis Lawrence set herself up with a strike from 35 feet that bent over the goaltender's head and into the back of the net for the go-ahead score.
The Rattlers defense held strong for the final 16 minutes, only allowing one shot on goal in that time frame to close out the game with a huge victory.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
- Juni Ejere has been on fire recently, scoring a goal in three straight games for the Rattlers.
- The Rattlers handed Angelo State their first loss in their last 15 matches, dating back to last season.
- The Rattlers defense showed their strength, and held Angelo State to 11 shots in the game, which is their lowest shot total in a game this season.
HEAD COACH KEVIN DRIGGS ON THE PERFORMANCE
"Any time you beat a ranked team like Angelo State who hasn't lost a game in a while, its rewarding. Lot of respect to that team, they are super competitive and always are. Very happy with the win, and we will for sure celebrate this one. We just have to use this game and experience and build off of it as we go on through the season."
UP NEXT
The Rattlers hit the road for a two game road trip starting with Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, September 25th at 1 p.m.
