BOX SCORE

DETROIT – The Eastern Kentucky University women’s soccer team used a pair of first half goals by senior Alex Raich and redshirt freshman Lauren Fant to surge past host Detroit Mercy, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon for the Colonels’ second straight win. With the win, EKU improves to 3-4-2 before heading into conference play next weekend.

Raich scored the fastest goal in program history when she found the back of the net from five yards out just 44 seconds into the game, quickly putting the Colonels up 1-0. It was Raich’s first goal of the season and seventh of her career.

“We set the tone early,” head coach Lindsay Basalyga said. “We could have come out complacent after such a big win on Friday, but we refocused immediately, and I’m really proud of that.”

Fant put the Colonels up by two in the 42nd minute when she received a pass from freshman Hillary Cooper and fired a shot past UDM goalkeeper Nora Abolins. It was Fant’s first career goal.

“It was a huge adrenaline rush, because my best friend plays for UDM and it was one of the other schools I was considering coming out of high school” Fant, who was raised just half an hour outside of Detroit in Rochester Hills, said of the goal.

Abby McCollum scored for the Titans in the 76th minute to cut the lead to one, but the EKU defense clamped down over the final minutes and the Colonels came away with their first road victory of the season.

“The second half got a little frantic, but our backline and (goalkeeper) Stephanie Lynch kept us in the game.” Basalyga said.

Lynch played all 90 minutes for the Colonels and made seven saves while allowing just one goal. It is the only goal she has allowed in EKU’s last three games.

Freshman Nicole Donnelly led the Colonels with two shots on the day, one of which was on goal.

“It gives us a huge amount of confidence to win two games and score six goals this weekend,” Fant said. “We’re going into OVC play with a whole new attitude.”

The Colonels begin OVC play next Friday, Sept. 24, with a 4:00 p.m. home game against defending OVC champion Murray State.

“We’re seeing and capitalizing on the attack, and our defense is getting better and better,” Basalyga said. “But, really, no one cares what we’ve done up to this point. The season starts on Friday,”