CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Hatters women's soccer completed its first road trip picking up a win over Queens University, 2-1, Sunday afternoon at Dickson Field of the Queens Sports Complex. The win concluded a two-match undefeated ASUN Conference road trip.

"Winning on the road is always a challenge," head coach Chris Bergmann said "It was great to come together as a team and execute the game plan. Scoring first sets the tone and we created a lot of really good opportunities with set pieces and the run of play. It was a beautiful goal by Maggie which was brought on by great team effort and creativity with movement of the ball. It was a beautiful shot that set the tone."

The match started with both teams trading direct attacks with Queens placing the first shot on goal that Hatter junior goalkeeper Ashleigh Wise smothered for her first save of the afternoon in the 11th
minute.

Stetson's response came in the 20th minute. After waves of pressure lead to a shot on goal from junior forward Chloe Washington in the 19th minute, a desperation clearance came shortly thereafter landing at the feet of senior defender Sydney McKee. The defender knocked the ball towards a gap in the opposing defense with senior forward Maggie Struble splitting the defenders and running to receive the pass. Playing the ball off the second bounce, Struble ripped a shot that froze Royal goalkeeper Erica Turner and rolled into the bottom left corner of the net, 1-0 to the Hatters.

While each squad would continue playing directly and attacking with each opportunity, the score remained the same through the end of the first 45, but the match would be impacted in closing seconds. An errant ball made its way to the Hatter goal box where Wise shepherded the ball trying to run out the clock and forced a Royal to advance to make Wise play the ball. The attacking player ran into Wise without slowing showing frustrations and was red carded as the half came to a close.

Queens used the break to recover and came into the second half with a lot of emotion and used it for an immediate burst of energy. Pressing, the home side forced a turnover in the Hatter defensive
third and loose ball in the box was smacked in by Queens' Nia Gaither for the tying goal, 1-1, in the 55th minute.

Continuing to weather storm of offense from the ASUN newcomers, the Hatter defense absorbed pressure until the Royals were starting to feel the effects of expending a burst of energy to start the second half combined with being down a player. After 15 minutes of the second frame, SU earned back-to-back corner kicks as momentum shifted to the visitors. On the second kick, the ball was partially cleared but landed at the feet of Lea Alexander around the 18-yard box boundary directly in front of goal. No defender immediately closed out on the sophomore forward playing as a right back, and she shot low and to the left. Turner was unable to locate the shot through the mass of players on both teams until it was too late to stop it and Stetson reclaimed the advantage, 2-1, with Alexander notching her first goal of 2022 and second career mark on the score sheet.

While the teams traded attacks in the final 25 minutes, neither could create the opportunity to tie or seal the match, but with the lead Stetson took the win and completed the first road swing of the conference schedule undefeated.

"As we coach the team we always talk about being ready and stepping in where the team needs you," Bergmann said about the two outside backs "Both of them [Lea Alexander, Sabrina Comana] are excellent players that have really elevated their intensity in practice and earned the opportunity to be out there where the team needs them. They have done a great job contributing with Lea scoring the game-winner and Sabrina doing well with containing in the back. Both read the game really well and when we are going against really strong composition, they have done a great job containing them. Our team is about stepping up when the team needs you, and they've both done a great job with that."

Stetson women's soccer returns to DeLand for a pair of home ASUN matches, starting Thursday as Jacksonville travels to the ATC, kickoff at 7 p.m., and North Florida wrapping up the weekend Sunday with a scheduled start time of 6 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on Hattervision Youtube.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS. Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.