DELAND, Fla. – A pair of set-piece goals pushed Stetson women's soccer to its second victory in two games as The Citadel was defeated, 2-1, Thursday night at the Athletic Training Center.
 
"From the whistle it's about taking the team and moving together with momentum," head coach Chris Bergmann said "We capitalized right away with our ball circulation, our fight, our offense and defense. We're going to fight for the 50-50s and use our speed and tenacity to put our will on the game. From each goal, you could really feel it and see how we created opportunity from hitting the post to demanding saves from the keeper. It was a pretty fun game to see."
 
After a back-and-forth opening 15 minutes that saw five combined shots, the match settled into a rhythm with both teams trying to attack as directly as possible.  With the run of play favoring the Hatters, junior forward Chloe Washington, made a shifty move to expose The Citadel's back four. Instead of allowing Washington to run free, defender Lexy Kendro committed a foul, giving Stetson a free kick. Kyleigh Thelen pummeled the free kick around the wall and goalkeeper Grace Laws to put the Hatters in front 1-nil.
 
The high press for both teams was maintained by both teams as the half continued and a combined seven subs over the eight minutes following allowed fresh players to maintain the match tempo, although there were no more break-throughs in the first half.
 
Stetson doubled the advantage two minutes and 34 seconds into the second frame. Washington imposed her offensive will again, this time forcing Laws to save her shot but surrendering a corner kick. Junior midfielder Telma Sif Buadottir lined up over the ball and sent an in-swinging arcing kick toward net. As the ball came flying in, senior Maggie Struble charged the keeper in an attempt to play the ball. The run may have done enough to distract Laws, because the attempt to catch the ball took her into the bulldog net with the ball crossing the line for the second Hatter goal.
 
"The goal means a lot to me because I am a senior and it is my first goal for Stetson," Buadottir said "It definitely means a lot and I wanted to get one in this season and I hope they keep coming because we have conference left and a conference goal would mean a lot as well."
 
The visitors pulled a goal back in the 85th minute as Suzuka Yosue connected with Maggie Melogy before Makenzie DePriest-Kessler redirected a cross into the net, but the Hatters locked down the defense in front of goal, allowing one shot over the last five minutes, and it was not on target as they took the 2-1 victory.
 
"Honestly, we just worked for each other," Buadottir said about the team's performance. "We put our heart out there on the field and I think it was just grit that came out and helped us win the game."
 
Sarah Grimmett added three more saves to her conference-leading total, which now sits at 41. The Hats got big performances off the bench as nine subs got on the pitch with five playing for 28 minutes or longer. Sophomore defender Sabrina Comana notched a career-high 47 minutes.
 
Stetson women's soccer will honor seven players for senior day prior to playing Coastal Carolina 6 p.m., Sunday evening at the ATC.
 
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.