The ULM women’s soccer team lost its first home conference match 1-0 against Georgia State, and now, the Warhawks hold a conference record of 1-1-0, 6-2-2 overall.
ULM has not won a game against Georgia State since 2014, and this loss continued the winless streak.
ULM goalkeeper Mickaela Leal made two saves against Georgia State. The Warhawks tried to control the ball and attack strategically. Janne Van Brummelen’s header nearly got the lead for ULM in the last 10 minutes of the first half.
“We had the majority of the possession, so we just need to convert our chances,” senior defender Lucia Lobato said.
Georgia State’s offense attacked every time it had a chance, taking six shots in the first half alone. The Panthers found an opening in the 37th minute but could not turn the opportunity into a goal. An offside call saved what would have been first blood for Georgia State in the 42nd minute.
The first half of the game was balanced. Although the Panthers had more shots, the Warhawks made crucial shots on target. ULM focused more on having possession, whereas Georgia State focused on offense.
The second half had fast gameplay, with both teams focusing on offense and getting the lead as soon as possible.
An attack from the Panthers got them the result, scoring in the 58th minute of the game.
Georgia State defended the offense from the Warhawks and countered them. A long pass by the Panthers gave their offense an opening. Georgia State’s striker outpaced the Warhawks’ defenders in the box, and a Georgia State forward found herself 1-on-1 with ULM goalie Alexa Castro, shooting bottom left to get the lead.
Georgia State looked more relaxed and pulled its defense low. The Panthers changed their strategy to defending, having only one or two players on offense.
To break through the Panthers’ suffocating defense, the Warhawks attempted to utilize junior forward Janet Stokpa, who has proven herself to be crucial throughout the season with four goals and an assist so far. However, a minor injury in the last minutes of the game removed a key scoring unit from the Warhawks’ arsenal.
ULM tried its best to score one after another, but it could not get the ball beyond the goal line. The Warhawks had 11 (4) shots in total, the most in the game. Unfortunately for ULM, those shots never landed in the net.
The loss against Georgia State marks the second loss for the Warhawks this season. However, the team seeks to improve before the conference tournament.
“I think this team definitely has the fight in them to go all the way to the Sun Belt Championship, but we just need to bounce back from this loss,” junior goalkeeper Mickaela Leal said.
