HOUSTON – On Friday evening at Sorrels Field the HBU women's soccer team took control in the second half to earn a 3-1 victory over visiting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after going into the break tied 1-1 to close out the 2019 season in the win column.
The Huskies (3-15-0, 2-9-0 SLC) came out strong, forcing Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (9-8-1, 6-4-1 SLC) goalkeeper Kyleigh Hall into three saves within the first 3:18 of the game and
Avery Cortez putting a shot off the crossbar. In the seventh minute, Cortez put a shot on goal with Hall making the save but the rebound went right to
Whitney Johnson who knocked it in for her first goal of the year and a 1-0 HBU lead. The Islanders evened the score just over 10 minutes later after a foul in the box put Abby Deakin at the spot where she converted the penalty kick. HBU's
Karla Ramirez made three saves the rest of the half for a 1-1 tie at the half.
Within the first minute of the second half,
Tayah Reynolds unleashed a shot from distance that bounced off the crossbar and less than two minutes later, Johnson had a PK opportunity that also hit the woodwork and bounced back out. The Huskies earned a corner kick in the 65
th minute with Cortez sending a ball in to the near post where freshman
Ryan Ford deflected it past Hall and into the net for a 2-1 Huskies lead. The HBU defense limited the Islanders to just two shots with one on goal over the final 25 minutes. Cortez put the match out of reach when she intercepted a TAMUCC pass deep in the Islanders' defensive territory and dribbled right at the net, beating a pair of defenders and Hall to find the net.
With her one goal, two assist effort, Cortez now has seven goals and four assists on the season for a team-best 18 points. Ford's goal was her second of the season while Johnson's was her first. HBU held a 21-12 advantage in shots and earned seven corner kicks to the Islanders' three.
