Taylor Skorik scored 57 seconds after kickoff and the 20th-ranked Tommies never looked back, defeating UW-River Falls 2-0 on Sept. 14 at the University of St. Thomas.
Skorik’s goal came when her long shot was blocked by the Falcons (0-4-1) goalkeeper, but the momentum was enough to get the ball across the goal line, giving the Tommies (4-0) an early 1-0 lead.
“I didn’t think too much about,” Skorik said about her early goal. “I just thought I’d give it a try, and I got lucky.”
St. Thomas head coach Sheila McGill emphasized the importance of scoring fast.
“When you score early, it takes the pressure off your whole team and keeps the other team battling to fight back,” McGill said. “It breaks down (the opponent’s) spirit, which is always a good thing.”
After Skorik’s early goal, the Tommies played aggressive defense, led by last season’s MIAC Defensive Player of the Year, goalkeeper Tarynn Theilig.
“Tarynn is such a strong goalkeeper, and we’ve really started to sort out our backline,” McGill said. “The players coming off the bench are just as strong as our starters, and the entire defense is working together great as a unit.”
The Tommies have not allowed a goal this season.
St. Thomas put the game out of reach in the second half after midfielder Mary Ennis made a great run along the sideline, going past a Falcon defender centering the ball to forward Emily Michaelson who slide toe-poked the ball into the net, giving the Tommies the 2-0 lead.
“It was great to see two younger players getting game points for us,” McGill said of Ennis and Michaelson.
The Tommies controlled the ball for most of the final 17 minutes to secure their fourth win of the season.
While McGill was happy with the outcome, she thinks the team can still improve.
“We could’ve easily been up 5-0 if we took advantage of all our opportunities,” McGill said. “It’s a good win, but it shows that we have to take every moment and play to the best of our ability.”
The Tommies will be back in action on Saturday at home against Wartburg (IA) at noon.
Taylor Smith can be reached at smit9660@stthomas.edu.