The University of Minnesota Duluth opened up its 2015 campaign suffering a 6-0 loss against the No. 7-ranked University of Central Missouri in a neutral site match on the campus of Augustana (S.D.) University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
After graduating the majority of its starting line-up, UMD (0-1-0) was looking for young players to step up against Central Missouri--an NCAA II Elight Eight participant a season ago that returned its conference defender & goalkeeper of the year also making its debut. Jennies starting 'keeper, sophomore Ana Dilkes, made two saves while the Bulldogs' sophomore
Jordan Melby stopped three balls for UMD in her fifth collegiate start.
The teams maintained a scoreless tie for the first 30-plus minutes of play, with Central Missouri sophomore Kayla Hamner breaking through at 33:43 with an unassisted tally that gave her team an early edge. Melby would stop a pair of balls in the first half, while junior captain
Katie Peterson had the Bulldogs' first shot-on-goal of the season stymied by Dilkes as the Jennies took a 1-0 lead to the halftime break. Coming out the locker room, another UCM sophomore struck as Megan Woolley netted her first of the year at 51:24 to give the Jennies a two-goal lead, one they'd build upon later in the half, opening up a 5-0 lead on goals by freshman Emily Griffin (who would score again late in the game to start her season with two goals), sophomore Mikala Modori, and junior Hannah Pyle during a five-minute span against a pair of Bulldog goalkeepers, as freshman
Carlye Wright relieved Melby in the 65th minute. The UMD pair combined for five saves.
CORNER KICKSFirst-year players
Laura Edgren and
Natalie St. Martin as well as junior transfer
Skye Finley each made their collegiate debuts in the starting line-up for UMD; eight members of the freshmen class made their first appearances as Bulldogs ... sophomore
Taylor Johnson and junior
Kailey Beatt each had a shot in the losing effort ... Griffin led Central Missouri with four shots, each on-target for the Jennies ... Peterson paced the Bulldogs with a pair of shots on goal ... junior Maddie Waner spelled Dilkes in the final nine minutes of the match.
UP NEXTUMD returns to its home field for a pair of non-conference matches next weekend when the team hosts Michigan Tech University and Northern Michigan University at Malosky Stadium. The Bulldogs and Huskies will get the weekend started on Saturday afternoon with a 12:00 p.m. kick-off.
