Three games into the season, the Arizona soccer team has more questions than answers in breaking out of an offensive slump.
“It’s probably the toughest loss that I have had in my time here,” said senior goalkeeper Ashley Jett.
The Wildcats (0-3) lost in a second overtime to South Carolina on Friday night by a score of 1-0 in their first home game of the season.
“I think anyone who saw the game and saw how much energy and passion we put into the game and, to have a result like this, it’s heartbreaking,” head coach Lisa Oyen said.
The Wildcats had a few chances to score but could not capitalize on their opportunities. In the seventh minute, redshirt junior Renae Cuellar had a one-on-one attack against the goalie but her shot went wide left.
“I had an opportunity that I obviously should have put away,” Cuellar said. “That’s a big heartbreaker for me.”
Arizona had more than the Gamecocks to contend with, as weather was also an issue. The game was suspended at halftime for about 50 minutes due to a thunderstorm warning.
Oyen and the rest of the coaching staff used to the extra time to tell the team what they wanted fix and the team listened to music in their field house to keep themselves pumped up.
The Wildcats had several chances toward the end of the regulation to put the ball in the back of the net but couldn’t make the most of it.
With under two minutes left in the game, sophomore Jazmin Ponce lined up a free kick, just outside of the penalty box, and her shot clanked off the cross bar.
“It’s extremely frustrating,” Jett said. “We’ve had, I don’t know how many games now, it’s like an eight-game streak where we haven’t scored.
“We’ve gotten so close, we’ve gotten to the cross bar, we’ve gotten great headers, we’ve had great looks that go straight to the keeper or way out wide. I still think one day they are going to fall one day and once they do there’s no stopping us.”
The Wildcats have this week off as they prepare for their Sept. 5 game against BYU in Provo, Utah.
Injury update
Junior Kirstyn Magyar left the game in the first half after injuring her leg on a 50/50 ball. Oyen said Magyar was held out of the rest of the game because she did not want to take any unnecessary risks, and added that Magyar should be fine for the next game.
Magyar had her leg wrapped and was on crutches.
