The Chattanooga women’s soccer team came away with a 5-3 win over Indiana State Thursday night with four different goal scorers to improve to 2-1 on the year.
Indiana State got the scoring started with a goal 13 minutes into the match. Alex Lehnert tallied her fourth goal of the season to make it 1-0.
Chattanooga rallied with four goals in the first half, two from Paige Thomas to take a 4-1 lead into halftime.
EG Dillard, assisted by Elle Wakefield, scored the equalizer in the 30th minute. From 35 yards out, she lofted the shot into the top left corner, over the keeper’s outstretched hand to tie it up 1-1 with 15:20 left to play in the opening half.
The Mocs second goal came less than five minutes later. Clarissa Salinas passed to Emma Reeves at midfield. She raced down the field and sent a perfect feed into Caroline Richvalsky in the box. Her shot from the right side was stopped by the keeper, but not pulled in. Thomas, who had just entered the match, fought around the defense in the box with a sliding kick for the go-ahead goal in the 35th minute.
Karoline Lauritsen, also newly into the game, scored her first collegiate goal in the 37th minute. Richvalsky, fighting off the Sycamores, tried to send the ball in. A ricochet off an ISU player to Lauritsen set up a shot from the top right just outside the 18-yard box and into the net on the far post for Chattanooga’s third goal of the match.
Thomas netted her second goal of the match and the Mocs fourth with less than five minutes remaining in the half. Carmya Mastrangelo went half the length of the field from the right to the left and found Thomas ahead of her and fed her the ball on the run as she entered the box. Thomas picked it up and fired off a shot from her left foot to make it 4-1.
Indiana State cut the lead in half in the 59th minute. A foul in the box resulted in a PK. Caroline Ekern made the stop but the ball bounced back out for Brooklyn Woods to send it in to make it 4-2. The Sycamores inched closer with Lehnert’s second goal of the match in the 75th minute.
Chattanooga added some space with less than seven minutes to play on Richvalsky’s goal. Nicole Solete raced to keep the ball from going out over the end line and sent a cross into the box that was batted away by the keeper and right to Richvalsky who sent it home for the score.
The Mocs outshot the Sycamores 14-10 and had an 8-5 shots on goal advantage. Dillard led Chattanooga with four shots while Richvalsky and Thomas added three each. Caroline Ekern picked up her 25th career win.
The Mocs remain home to host Morehead State Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Sunday’s game theme is Bake Off in conjunction with the Chattanooga Market’s Baketacular. UTC will give away Little Debbie’s at the gate.