The Creighton women’s soccer team improved to 4-2-2 on the year after road victories against South Dakota and Weber State. The Jays rolled past South Dakota 4-1 on Thursday and beat Weber State 1-0 on Saturday thanks to junior forward Andrea Zuniga. Zuniga scored three times in the two games and was named Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
On Thursday, the Jays put themselves on the board early when senior midfielder Emily Orbell’s goal in the 18th minute gave them a 1-0 lead. Seconds later, Zuniga put the ball in the net for her first goal of the game. Another Zuniga goal in the 39th minute gave the Jays a 3-0 lead going into the half. The Jays took a commanding 4-0 lead after freshman forward Kayla Nsien scored off an assist from sophomore forward Brittany Neumann. Creighton dominated the Coyotes for all 90 minutes, taking a season high number of shots (23) and shots on goal (10). Neumann led the Jays with seven shots and two assists, while sophomore Gabriela Guillen took five shots.
Saturday, Creighton traveled to Ogden, Utah and came home with a 1-0 win over the Weber State Wildcats. Andrea Zuniga again paced the Jays, scoring a goal in the 22nd minute from 25 yards out. One goal would be all the Jays needed, as junior goalkeeper Alicia Montgomery shutout the Wildcats with four saves. Creighton controlled the ball for most of the game and attempted 17 shots. Defender’s Claire Zach, Kat Wright, Erin Gunther, and Macy Mauer were dominant on their end of the pitch, allowing only seven shots all night.
“I thought our offense really stepped up on the road trip,” Zach said. “We didn’t really come out to play against Northern Illinois and South Dakota State.”
The Jays seem to have shaken off the rust that was on display early in the season. For now, Zach says the Jays are focusing on “getting better every game.” If that trend continues, their goals of winning conference and reaching the NCAA tournament should be attainable. But they know it will take more than talent to achieve these and to improve on last year’s 13-6-2 record.
“This is the most talented team I’ve played on, but talent doesn’t always yield results,” Zach said. “We’ve got to come together.”
It seems the team is beginning to take her words to heart. The Jays successful week of soccer was a complete team effort, and is a step in the right direction towards success during conference play. The team is also learning how to play on the road, something they struggled with last season.
“I think road play is difficult because you are out of you normal routine, but we make it a priority to treat home games just like road games,” Zach said.
The women continue to focus on improving each game. The Jays hope the trend continues and look to extend their winning streak next Friday against Wyoming. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM at Morrison Stadium.