HATTIESBURG, Miss. – A pair of Ashley Economopoulos goals highlighted a 5-1 first half as Old Dominion women’s soccer earned a 7-1 road win over Southern Miss on Sunday afternoon at USM’s Marshall Bell Track & Field and Soccer Complex.
“It’s not easy to win on the road, especially a long trip like this, so to produce the team performance that we did today is so pleasing,” said ODU head coach Angie Hind.
The Monarchs (6-1-3, 2-0-2 Sun Belt) opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Koto Davis drove up the left side of the pitch and sent in a crossing pass to Brooke Edwards. Edwards went to her left foot and struck the ball past USM goalkeeper Maddie Ellis for the 1-0 lead.
USM found the equalizer in the 16th minute when Eduarda Flores Fuculo sent a ball up the left side to Raquelle Mitchell, who rifled a shot from the top of the 18-yard box to the top right corner of the net. ODU quickly regained control less than a minute later when Yuliia Khrystiuk dribbled in near the right post and hit a rising shot into the upper right corner for the 2-1 advantage.
The Monarchs tacked on another goal in the 23rd minute as Riley Mullen drew the attention of a USM defender, leaving Economopoulos open in front of the net for a quick touch. Mullen then found the back of the net a minute later when she drew Ellis out of the net and slotted a low ball to the keeper’s left.
Economopoulos rounded out the first half with another goal in the 41st minute. As a USM defender looked to earn a goal kick on the left side of the end line, the freshman from Grantville, Pennsylvania pressed and came away with the ball. With just the goalie to beat, she fired a shot just inside the left post to make it 5-1 before the break.
“From the start I thought our approach to the game was spot on and we put them under real pressure and were creative in the final third with better chances than we have been producing of late, something we have been working hard on all week.”
In the second half, Andrea Balcazar Algarin dribbled up to the right of the USM goal and swung in a pass to an open Koto Davis in front of the net. The freshman from Baltimore, Maryland took one step and connected for her first career goal as the Monarchs went up 6-1 in the 62nd minute. Hannah Morgan rounded out the scoring in the final minute of action for her first career goal. Khrystiuk found herself with just the goalie to beat, but had her shot saved by USM’s Lena Blake. The Golden Eagles (2-8-1, 1-3-0) attempted to clear, but the rebound landed in front of a trailing Morgan who hit a left-footed shot for the final 7-1 margin.
“We are delighted with the result and the all-round team contribution today,” added Hind. “A lot of strikers scored and assisted and that’s a real good thing too.”
ODU set new season highs with 31 shots and 20 shots on goal. The Monarch defense held the Golden Eagles to just four shots on the day. Six different Monarchs found their way into the scoring column, with Economopoulos converting two of her four shots. Mullen finished with one goal and two assists, and David contributed one goal with one assist.
Goalkeeper Erin Jones played the full 90 minutes for the Monarchs, allowing the lone USM goal while recording one save.
The seven goals scored are the most by the Monarchs since a 6-1 victory over VMI on Sept. 9, 2012. It’s also the seventh time in program history that ODU has scored six or more goals. The team was one goal shy of tying the program record of eight goals, set on Sept. 3, 2006 against Fairleigh Dickinson.
UP NEXT:
Old Dominion will be back at the ODU Soccer Complex this Thursday, Oct. 2 when the Monarchs host Troy for a 6 p.m. Sun Belt Conference match.