Spending the past week overseas facing the some of the best international soccer teams Europe has to offer, the Anderson University men and women soccer teams concluded their playing schedule last Friday on a positive note.
The AU men’s team defeated Rancell UK Premier 2-0 while the women’s program lost a hard-fought 3-1 game to Keighley FC.
Playing well from the opening whistle, the AU men’s squad put together its first complete match of the trip to net victory.
Paul Hill, an AU sophomore defender, started the scoring for the Ravens with a header past the keeper while sophomore midfielder Matt Young provided a great ball for the goal in the 36th minute.
In a very evenly played match, J.J. Darr, an AU senior forward, scored the deciding goal in the 82nd minute via a direct kick past the keeper from 32 yards out.
AU edged Rancell in shots 15-14 and totaled four corners to Rancell’s two.
AU senior goalkeeper Josh Hendrix started the first half with two saves, and sophomore Jordan Hobbs completed the second half with six saves.
“I was very proud of this team today,” said AU coach Scott Fridley. “We have a lot of new combinations and things to see before we start our season. These guys put together a complete match today. They were outstanding and really played well as one unit.”
Against Keighley FC, the AU women’s team held their ground after surrendering an early goal, facing an immediate deficit.
Down 1-0, the Ravens knotted the score in the 48th minute as Tara Sprague, a senior midfielder, threaded a pass to sophomore forward Michelle Noland for AU’s lone goal.
The game continued to stalemate until a late penalty kick called against AU, which altered the tempo of the match and the eventual final tally.
Though able to get a hand on the game-changing penalty kick, AU junior goalkeeper Kelsey Alcorn couldn’t slow the ball as it crept across the goal line to give Keighley the lead.
Keighley capped the game with a 35-yard shot to finalize the score. Despite the loss, AU recorded 15 shots compared to Keighley’s 12 while also out cornering their opponent 3-2.
Alcorn finished with fours saves for the Ravens.
“I felt the women played well enough to win this game; it just didn’t work our way tonight. We had many opportunities to make this game a different result. I was proud of our continued hard work on the field for 90 minutes,” noted coach Fridley.
“This has been a great tour for both teams. Being very young and many new faces, I didn’t know what to expect. These young people have been fantastic here, and it gives us much promise for the coming season.”
The AU Ravens soccer teams ended their trip by venturing onto Bolton on Saturday for the Bolton-Newcastle opening day game for the English Premier League Match. Before their flight on Monday, they headed to Manchester, finalizing their voyage.
The AU soccer teams will start their preseason states-side schedule Saturday.
AU women’s soccer team cuts teeth in Europe
Continuing on their European exhibition trip, the Anderson University women’s soccer team faced another talented opponent last Thursday night in Whitley Bay FC.
A semifinals competitor for the cup last season, Whitley Bay FC used their speed and strength to defeat the visiting Ravens 5-1 behind a stellar first half.
Able to pull ahead by four goals while using an early AU miscue to score their first goal, Whitley Bay met a determined Ravens team in the second half.
Allowing a quick goal to start the second half, AU settled down to control play and gather a few scoring opportunities.
In the 55th minute, AU’s Tara Sprague received a ball wide of the 18-yard box and fired a shot past the keeper toward the far post for the Ravens’ lone goal. In the second half, AU outshot Whitley Bay 8-7.
Ruthie Castor displayed her skill up front for the Ravens and led the squad with four shots on goal. Kelsie Alcorn had nine saves for the Ravens.
“I was very proud of our second-half effort and for the ladies not to give up when the early going was rough," AU head coach Scott Fridley said.
The AU men and women team’s schedule moved onto Leeds for their last match of the tour before taking in opening day for the English Premier with Bolton facing Newcastle on Saturday.
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AU soccer teams finish Europe Tour on good foot; women battle to the end in loss
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