By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
HATTIESBURG – If there was any concern at William Carey University about a letdown after a big clash Thursday night between two NAIA Top 10 women’s soccer programs, those concerns proved unfounded.
The Crusaders took care of business in an efficient manner Saturday afternoon, disposing of Blue Mountain College 6-0 in Southern States Athletic Conference action at Danny Owens Field.
Carey, the No. 1-ranked team in the nation in the NAIA Coaches Poll, improved to 10-0 overall and 4-0 in conference. BMC dropped to 2-7-1 and 0-3.
“The way we’ve been playing, no one’s been selfish and we’ve been playing as a team,” said senior forward Julia Herbst. “I feel like that’s why we’re the first team in the nation right now. Everyone is playing together and everyone’s getting goals.”
Saturday’s victory came after a hard-fought 3-2 win over No. 10 Tennessee-Southern Thursday in a rematch of the 2021 NAIA National Championship Game, won by UT-S in a penalty-kick shootout.
“I wasn’t worried about a letdown, because I was sure the girls would take care of business,” said head coach Danny Owens.
“I did think we came out a little flat today, but we felt like we could get a lot of numbers on the field, some fresh legs, an I think we accomplished our goal.”
It took the Crusaders about five minutes to get going, then they started peppering the Toppers net with one shot after another.
Carey got six shots, two on-goal, in the first 12 minutes of play, then found the back of the net the easy way at the 13:43 mark when senior Maria Azarias buried a penalty kick to give WCU a 1-0 lead.
Five minutes later, junior transfer Christina Salmon converted a pass from senior Natasha Povey for a score at the 18:41 mark. It was the first of three goals from the forward from Jamaica.
“This was my first goal at home,” said Salmon. “I knew I was quicker, so when the keeper came out, I moved the ball around her, because I knew she could get me, and just had the finish.”
Salmon has joined veterans Azarias and Herbst to form a deadly trio in the offensive end. Together they’ve combined for 31 goals and 19 assists.
“I was really anxious to score . I knew it was coming, but I just waited my turn and came away with the hat trick,” said Salmon. “I mean, I have my ups and downs, but I’m just working hard trying to be better each game.”
And it was Herbst to made it 3-0 with an assist from junior Mariangela Jiminez at the 22:38 mark.
“I think last year, we played more as individuals than this year,” said Herbst. “This year, it feels more like we’re playing as a team. And that’s a good thing, because when you’re not having a good day, there are other players who can score. I just love it.”
The Carey second team got on the action as the first half progressed, and they dented the scoreboard again at the 30:34 mark, as Fernanda Pena Nieto cashed in a pass from freshman Zalma Torres for a 4-0 lead, which the Crusaders carried into halftime.
“It’s always competitive in practice, and that’s what keeps us good,” said center back Ashley Arnoult. “Everyone’s competing 24/7, and that’s why we’re always good, honestly.”
The Carey defenders didn’t have much to do against the Toppers, as the game was played mostly in the offensive end of the field. BMC only mustered two weak shots, one in each half, and neither came close to the goal.
“Yeah, we’ve been really good at scoring goals, cashing our opportunities moving the ball well and playing as a team up there,” said Arnould, a senior from Gulfport. “They make it easy on us in the back.”
Carey, meanwhile, finished with 31 shots, 16 on goal, and had 10 corner kicks for the game.
The onslaught continued in the second half, with Salmon coming in from the left side to convert a pass from Herbst into a 5-0 lead.
Povey and Salmon hooked up again, as Salmon knocked in a shot off a free kick from Povey to complete the hat trick.
With an undefeated record, it’s hard for Owens to find things to be critical about, but he’s still looking for his team to get better as it sets its sights on another SSAC and NAIA championship run.
“No complaints right now, because we’ve done what we needed to do,” said Owens. “But I think this team has to learn a killer mentality, to put teams away when they’re down. We’ve had some games where we let teams back in the game, and we need to clean that up.
“We can always still get better. We need to develop a little more depth in some areas. So we’ll keep plugging away at it.”
Carey will be on the road in Georgia next week, with SSAC games at Middle Georgia State on Thursday and Brewton-Parker on Saturday, then return home October 5 to face Georgia Gwinnett.
Photos courtesy of Kevin Rosiere
