Thursday evening the Purple Aces fought a close match with the Bison as fifth-year goalkeeper Myia Danek (Laingsburg, Mich./Laingsburg) made four saves to open the 2024 season with a shutout. Sophomore forward Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind. /Reitz) and freshman defender Brielle LaBerge (Cumming, Ga./Forsyth Central) recorded UE’s two chances on goal in the 12th and 60th minute respectively.
“I thought it was a good match,” said Head Coach Chris Pfau following Thursday’s contest. “They’re an extremely talented team and very well coached over the last couple of years. Last year we went down there, and the game was over within the first 15 minutes as they went up 3-0. So, there’s good progress for where we are now.”
“I thought the first half we were a little tired. I still think that’s nerves and we’ve got to get past that. We lost our legs 15 minutes into the game. But the good thing is in the second half we got our second wind a little bit. There are some pieces at it that we have to keep building. Obviously finding TJ (Taylor Johnson) but on the back end, we’ve got to finish those opportunities. I thought Myia was lights out, the save at the end is why she’s here and why she starts. So, all around a good game for the first game of the season against a very very talented team. And there’s a lot to build from there.”
It was an action-packed first 20 minutes at Arad McCutchan Stadium as both teams combined for five shots. Danek and Lipscomb’s field players made a save each while the other three chances were off target. In the 12th minute, Johnson made it past Bison goalkeeper Kaïna Cesar and fired from the right side of the goal box. But a Bison player got in front of the ball to keep things scoreless after 13 minutes. Just under eight minutes later, Danek made her first save of the night grabbing a ball on the right side of the net. The teams headed into halftime still looking for the first goal of the night after 45 minutes of play.
It took almost 10 minutes for either side to get going in the second half, but Lipscomb midfielder Kiara Pralle tested Evansville with five straight shots in the second half. The Aces were ready for the challenge as Danek made her second save of the night against Pralle in the 53rd minute. LaBerge recorded her first shot and shot on goal as an Ace in the 60th minute taking a close chance from just outside the penalty arc. UE was able to keep things scoreless for the next 30 minutes as Danek made a diving save in the 84th minute for the nil-nil draw.
Evansville returns to the pitch in a week and a half for their first true road game of the year. The Aces head to Bowling Green to face Western Kentucky on Sunday, August 25th with match time set for 6 p.m. to be broadcast on ESPN+.
