BOX SCORE

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – After being shut out twice last weekend, the Eastern Kentucky University women’s soccer team responded with an offensive outburst and a statement win on Friday night as the Colonels routed Jacksonville State, 5-0, at JSU Soccer Field for their first OVC road win of the season.

Freshman Janelle Coates led the scoring spree with a pair of second half goals.

With the win, the Colonels improve to 7-6-2 (4-2-0 OVC) while the Gamecocks drop to 3-12-1 (1-5-0 OVC).

“We knew from the OVC standings that we had to win this weekend in order to have a shot [at the OVC regular season title],” redshirt freshman Lauren Fant, who contributed with a team-high two assists, said. “And we knew, to do that, we had to put the ball in the back of the net, and we did that.”

Just 17 minutes into the game, freshman Hillary Cooper put EKU on the board when she took a pass from senior Alex Raich, dribbled past a defender and fired a shot past JSU keeper Ali Koenig. It was Cooper’s second goal of the season and Raich’s second assist.

However, the Colonels did not score again and headed into the locker room at halftime up only 1-0 and having missed on some opportunities.

“We realized we had missed on some chances in the first half,” Coates said. “So we came out on fire in the second half.”

The Colonels’ leading scorer, freshman Nicole Donnelly, set the tone for the half when she scored an unassisted goal, her sixth of the season, in the 66th minute to put EKU by two.

Less than ten minutes later, Coates headed in a goal off a corner kick from Fant to make it 3-0. It was Coates’ second goal of the season and Fant’s first assist.

In the 80th minute, Coates scored her third goal of the season, this one unassisted, from the left side of the box to increase the Colonels’ lead to four.

Freshman Sarah LeBrun capped the scoring for the night with a goal in the 89th minute, her first of the season, off another assist from Fant.

All of EKU’s goals on Friday night were scored by freshmen.

The Colonels outshot the Gamecocks 17-9 on the evening and outshot them 11-4 in a thoroughly dominant second half. Donnelly led EKU with four shots, three of which were on goal, while Raich fired three, one of which was on goal.

Senior goalkeeper Stephanie Lynch made three saves while recording her fifth shutout of the season and 22nd shutout of her exceptional career.

Playing without injured team captain Heather Bruce, the EKU backline, which has only surrendered three goals in six OVC games, got stellar performances out of Fant, who moved from the attack to the backline following Bruce’s injury last weekend, junior Stephanie Murray and sophomore Hayley Wright, all of whom played all 90 minutes of the game. Midfielders Deja Tennon and Tess Akgunduz also went the distance for the Colonels on Friday night.

“We knew we could play better than we showed last weekend,” Tennon said. “So tonight, on the attack, we took more risks and chances on goal.”

“The difference between tonight and last weekend was our will to win,” Coates said. “That will to win made us a different team – we started connecting passes, communicating and working well together.”

The win improves EKU’s all-time record against JSU to 4-2. It is only the Colonels’ second road win of 2010.

“Coach Basalyga always says that great teams find a way to win on the road,” Fant said. “And we finally did that tonight.”

The Colonels return to conference action on Sunday when they play at Austin Peay at 3:00 p.m.