TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler women's soccer opened their 2024 campaign on Thursday night with a 2-0 victory over Rogers State at the Citizen's 1
st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex.
A goal in each half paved the way for the program's fourth consecutive opening night win dating back to the 2021 season. Junior
Natalie Jones put UT Tyler on the board early with a goal less than five minutes into the match while
Katelyn Walerczyk scored an insurance goal in the 64
th minute of the second half for the eventual 2-0 final.
Keeper
Emily Clark made six saves, including a pair of highlighted stops in each half, to insure a clean sheet.
Jones rattled a shot off the far post and into the back of the net four minutes the opening half, delivering an accurate shot home off of a set-up touch from graduate student
Sydnee Garner. That goal was the second of two early chances by Jones and made a fast start for the Patriots count with the 1-0 advantage.
Rogers State had their best chance at the equalizer with 10 minutes left before the halftime break, but Clark was up to the task for her third save of the opening half of play.
UT Tyler kept the pressure on with the 1-0 lead in-hand in the early stages of the second half, and found the back of the net in the 64
th minute as Walerczyk corralled a loose ball off of a Patriot corner and touched it past the Hillcat keeper.
The Patriots leaned on what was an impressive defensive debut from that point forward and closed out the match with another highlighted save by Clark in the 86
th minute. The Bullard, Texas native stood strong and deflected away a breakaway chance for Rogers State and then found support from her defensive backline as senior
Gabrielle Wiebe blocked the rebounded shot to put an end to the best chance of the half for Rogers State.
UT Tyler out-shot the Hillcats by a 16-to-9 final tally, putting eight of those efforts on net. Jones led the Patriots with four shots, two of which were on goal. Garner picked up the assist on the first half goal by Jones.
UT Tyler moves to 1-0 on the season while Rogers State falls to 0-1.
The Patriots will stay at home for a Saturday afternoon match at 1 p.m. against East Central.