Women's Soccer Loses 2-0 to Ozarks

September 16, 2023

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas women's soccer team lost their non-conference match against the University of the Ozarks (AR) 2-0 on Friday, dropping to 1-4 on the season.

The defense was on full display for both sides in the first half, as both back lines refused to budge.  The Eagles had the better of the attacking chances in the first 45 minutes, but didn't truly test Ella Charles, who had another stellar game between the sticks.  The Dallas back line were quite organized as a unit, catching the Eagles offside five times in the first half alone.

The first half struggled ended in a stalemate, but things changed quickly in the second in the Eagles favor.

Ozarks made some adjustments at the half time break and began to stretch the field, better utliizing the wide areas of the pitch.  As a result, they enjoyed much more of the attacking play in the second half, and it didn't take long for them to net the first goal of the game, going up 1-0 with 35 minutes left to play.

An unfortunate trend as of late for the Crusaders continued into this game, as they struggled to find that incisive pass to create a high percentage scoring opportunity.  They managed a handful of shots from difficult angles or from outside the box, but couldn't quite get the ball where they needed it to be.  

The Eagles doubled their lead in the 78th minute on a penalty kick as a result of a foul by goalkeeper Alison Zilafro: it was a rare mistake by her, as she and Charles have formed a mighty duo equally splitting goalkeeping duties for the Crusaders.

Up Next

The Crusaders are back in action on Sunday, Sept. 17 as they host Hendrix College.  Kick-off is scheduled for 10:00 am.