It was an up and down weekend for the Grambling State University soccer team. The women started the weekend with a decisive 4-0 victory over Southern University then suffered a 3-0 loss to Jackson State in Southwestern Athletic Conference play.
On Friday, GSU was led by two goals from freshman forward Ashley Baker, while senior midfielder Vanessa Pacheco and sophomore midfielder Chelsea Bonnville scored a goal a piece. The Lady Tigers (7-7, 2-1) were able to fire off 29 shots on goal.
Baker supplied the first goal of the contest at the 10-minute mark to give the team a 1-0 lead. After that, it was all downhill for the Lady Jags. Southern managed only five shots throughout the course of the game. The Lady Tigers were dominant on offense as well as defense, and seemed to have an answer for everything Southern tried.
“It feels good (beating Southern),” Bonnville said.
“They really thought they had this game, and we showed them that they did not.”
Bonnville scored the second goal of the game, giving the team a 2-0 advantage, a lead the women into halftime.
Baker then kept the onslaught going with a score eight-minutes into the second half, and Pacheco scored the team’s final goal in the 80th minute.
“It’s a good feeling (beating Southern),” Pacheco said. “I expected more from them.”
The victory served as not only a big win over a rival but more importantly, a SWAC victory.
“Today we had to come out with heart and intensity,” Baker said. “We wanted to get another win and not lose at home.”
Unfortunately for the Lady Tigers, a home loss occurred. GSU was unable to recover from a two-goal first-half deficit provided by Jackson State. The visiting Tigers continued the bleeding with a second-half goal and went on to a 3-0 victory.