TYLER, TEXAS – The University of Texas at Tyler women's soccer team made it five straight victories on Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over Harding to begin a season 5-0 for the first time in program history.
The Patriots took a 2-1 lead into the halftime break and then allowed just a single shot attempt in the second half to remain in control and rattle off a fifth straight win to open up the 2022 season. Senior
Samaris Alvarado scored in a fifth straight game to provide an insurance goal in the 54
th minute after goals from freshman
Brooke Mullins and senior
Edina Cakic in the first half.
UT Tyler will now take the best start in the program's history into Lone Star Conference play after finishing their non-conference schedule without a blemish.
Cakic scored in the 14
th minute from the top of the box on a beautiful strike that was setup by graduate student
Cephana Deane. Deane made a cross from deep in the Lady Bisons box that made it back out to Cakic, who sent a perfect shot on the far post to net her second goal of the year.
Harding scored in the 35
th minute, but maintained the tie game for less than four minutes as freshman
Brooke Mullins scored her first collegiate goal in the 39
th minute. Mullins took a ball from over the top of the Lady Bisons defense from
Vanessa Bart and buried it into the back of the net to give UT Tyler the 2-1 lead.
The Patriots outshot Harding by a 10-to-2 final in the opening half.
Alvarado then put what would be the finishing touches on the fifth straight Patriot victory with her fifth score in as many games in the 54
th minute. Alvarado took a long ball from keeper
Camri Cecil all the way into the Harding box and then beat the Lady Bisons keeper to make it 3-1 in favor of UT Tyler.
The Patriot defense allowed just three shot attempts all game, while the Patriot offense generated 21 shot attempts, eight of which found their way on target. Junior
Sydnee Garner led the Patriots with six shot attempts, two of which were on target.
UT Tyler completes the non-conference portion of their schedule by outscoring opponents by a 19-to-4 margin, and outshooting the opposition by nearly 100 shots. Alvarado leads the team with 11 points thanks to her five goals, while Garner, Cakic and senior
Jordan Colbert have all scored twice.
That high-level of play will need to continue as the Patriots are scheduled to open conference play on the road Wednesday night at #1 DBU at 7 p.m.
