BERRIEN SPRINGS, Mich. – After a 3-17 season in 2015, the Mount Mary University soccer team tied the school's single season wins record as they defeated Andrews University today at Andrews University Field. The 3-1 win over the Cardinals puts the Blue Angels at 8-7 on the 2016 campaign and now gives MMU a chance to break the record on Sat. Oct. 29 against Crown College.
"I am really proud the group fought hard defensively. We talked about the difficulty of beating a team twice, especially on the road," Mount Mary Head Soccer Coach Jon Gulrajani said of his team in their win.
The "hard defense" coach mentioned led to a first half shutout of the Cardinals and steered the Blue Angels to lead the half's shooting battle 11 to Andrews four.
19 minutes into the game, Kaeli Stellings (Fr./Beloit, Wis.) knocked in the game's first goal, and her 11th goal of the season. MMU continued to apply the pressure and 13 minutes later, Logan Ormeroid (Sr./New Berlin, Wis.) was setup by freshman forward Allison Klotz (Port Washington, Wis.) as Ormeroid blasted her first goal of the season into the net making the game 2-0.
Not done in the first half, Karina Salgado (So./Chicago, Ill.) capped off the Blue Angels scoring a mere 90 seconds later for Salgado's fifth goal of the season. Salgado is now 12th in the Association of Division III Independents in goals, and with now assists today, still leads the association with six assists on the year.
"Andrews really came out hard in the first 20 minutes of both halves they made it uncomfortable for us to attack. Once we settled into the first half and calmed down we created dangerous chances we could score off. We scored some goals by working hard in the box and following shots." Coach Gulrajani added, "In the second half we created some chances, but we played not to lose. We needed to be more aggressive. Credit Andrews they kept pushing and found a goal. I'm proud of the team's perseverance and happy we found a result."
After tonight, the Blue Angels will have a chance to break the school's wins record against Crown College on Sat. Oct. 29 in St. Bonifacius, Minn. Stay tuned to mtmaryathletics.com for all updates and record breaking news.
