ADA, Okla. – The East Central University soccer team displayed remarkable resilience in their GAC home matchup against Southern Nazarene University on Saturday. After falling behind early, the Tigers roared back to overcome the deficit and secure a thrilling 3-2 victory at Tiger Soccer Field.
 
With the win, ECU improves to 1-2-1 in conference play, handing SNU their first conference loss of the season.
 
"I am so proud of how the girls competed today," Head Coach Alyssa Taramona said. "We were able to win our individual battles on the pitch as well as the bench battle off the field. We had a slow start, but were able to keep the energy high, play as a team, and climb out of a hole. We talk about not focusing on mistakes, but how we react to them. The girls showed their resilience and tenacity with their response to mistakes this afternoon. We were hungry for the win and I am proud of how they battled all 90 minutes."
 
The Tigers faced an uphill battle in the opening period as the Crimson Storm raced out to a 2-0 within the first 12 minutes of play.
 
Despite the setback, ECU responded just six minutes later when Haleigh Goodson found the back of the net after a corner kick from Paige Jones deflected off teammate Abbie Morris and into the path of Goodson. She notched her second goal of the season to cut the lead in half at 2-1.
 
SNU attempted five more shots to equalize, but momentum shifted further when they committed a foul inside the box, allowing Abbie Morris to step up for a penalty kick, which she converted effortlessly to level the score at 2-2.
 
After halftime, the Tigers continued to press, playing lock down defense while ramping up their offensive efforts. At the 57:37 mark, Emily Green joined in on the scoring, striking the ball into the top of the net off the assist from Ximena Resendiz to give ECU the lead for good.
 
The Tiger defense held strong, preventing the Crimson Storm from equalizing the game despite having multiple opportunities as they earned three corner kicks in the final minutes.
 
Though SNU outshot ECU 19-15 and had an 8-6 edge in shots on goal, the Tigers capitalized when it mattered most to secure the victory.
 
Goalkeeper Madison Mayhall recorded six saves, earning another win for the Tigers
 
The ECU soccer team will hit the road next week for a GAC match against Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 4 pm.