The Fresno State women’s soccer team started off its conference season at Bulldog Soccer Stadium with results similar to last year: a draw against Colorado College. The team has not won any games this season as it heads into its 10th game of the season with six losses and three ties.
Just as in last September’s game, within the first minutes Colorado College’s Adelaide Gaffney slipped through Fresno State’s defense for the first goal of the evening.
Despite the ‘Dogs shooting twice the attempts of the Tigers, 14 in total, only six of those were in the frame and just one went into the net.
The one goal was a header inside the left post in the 21st minute of the first half by Sheyenne Hodge, assisted by Megan Galvan’s cross to the Tigers’ 18.
“It totally changed [the] momentum for us,” said Fresno State forward Jordan Brown.
Hodge’s goal picked up the energy for the remainder of the game.
The goal came after the Bulldogs failed to capitalize on three shots on target in the first nine minutes of the game. The ‘Dogs were still graced with opportunities to score, and Hodge was teed up for another head strike in the left upright corner but missed. She had another attempt in the 33rd minute, but ended up hitting the post.
“I thought that we caused them a lot of problems. The biggest thing is just breaking the ice and having the finishing go our way. [That] is the only thing that is still kind of evading us,” said Fresno State head coach Brian Zwaschka.
He said the team was excited to finish the game with a draw after creating a lot of danger in the Tigers’ half of the field.
After playing teams like UCLA and Oregon State for the team’s non-conference season, Zwaschka said that the team has learned to gain better control of the game and now needs to work on carrying out the process.
“I think I could have definitely done better in the finishing aspect of the game. I think we did well as a team to make a lot of opportunities. Unfortunately, they weren’t hitting the net for us tonight,” Brown said.
She praised the defense’s hard work to keep the score at one goal for the Tigers, making it a good game for attacking and defending.
“We’ve conceded goals in all the games and we need a little bit of luck because I thought that today’s goal was really lucky the way the ball broke for the forward coming in on frame but credit to her, she finished it and that’s the toughest part,” Zwaschka said.
The smallest details are what the team is continuing to work on toward its first win, according to Zwaschka, who said that chances for a goal come and go and that it’s the team’s job on finishing that job for the win.
The team will be back home on Sept. 25 to take on Air Force, with kickoff set for 12 p.m. at Bulldog Soccer Stadium.
