HUNTSVILLE, Ala. --- Alabama Huntsville defeated Tusculum University 3-0 in non-conference women's soccer action Sunday afternoon at Charger Park.
Carmen Endicott, Laura Hasani and Hannah Szopa scored for the Chargers (2-0-0), who had a 15-6 advantage in shots over the Pioneers (0-1-1). Endicott and Hasani scored in the final 15 minutes of the first half to give UAH a 2-0 lead at intermission, and Szopa added her goal 16 1/2 minutes into the second half for insurance.
The Chargers had three shot attempts in the first six minutes, as both Endicott and Maria Jansen missed wide to the right while Mollie Valek put a shot on target from 20 yards that was grabbed by Pioneer keeper Grayson Patterson.
Tusculum had its first scoring chance in the eighth minute as a shot from 25 yards by Hannah Deakins was punched over the crossbar by a leaping Ardis Haskell for UAH. Haskell was called upon to make her second save in the 10th minute as she picked up a rolling shot from Lakin Pennington.
Jansen nearly got the first goal of the match less than a minute later, but her blast from the top of the box rang squarely off the crossbar. Tusculum earned a free kick in the 13th minute but the header attempt by Sydney Grant went high over the target. Joey Garrett would have a look in the 17th minute but sent a shot wide to the left.
UAH earned a free kick from 25 yards in the 21st minute, but the shot from Maialen Mera Torres was high and wide of the goal. Torres earned another free kick from 30 yards two minutes later, but her attempt was pulled in by Patterson for the save. At the other end, Tanna Bookhamer finished a run by shooting wide of the far post in the 25th minute.
In the 33rd minute, the Chargers would earn a penalty kick after the Pioneers committed a hand ball violation in the box during a UAH corner kick. Endicott took the penalty and beat Patterson low to her right for a 1-0 UAH lead with 12:15 left in the first half.
UAH would stretch its lead to 2-0 just 4 1/2 minutes before half as a through pass from Tristin Del Toro went to Hasani in the box, and she fired a left-footed shot back across Patterson to the far post at 40:24. UAH would carry the 2-0 lead to intermission as neither team would have a shot the remainder of the half.
In the second half, Hasani had the first shot on goal off a free kick in the 60th minute, but her effort from 30 yards was caught easily by Patterson. Two minutes later, a chase for a loose ball inside 10 yards was won by Szopa, who rolled a shot past Patterson as the two collided for a 3-0 lead at 61:27.
Both teams would dip into their benches for the final 25 minutes, and Tusculum backup keeper Emma Harriman would earn a save on a bouncing shot from Jansen off a corner kick in the 82nd minute. Meanwhile, the Chargers defense would hold the Pioneers without a shot attempt in the second half.
Patterson finished with three saves in 67 minutes for the Pioneers, with one save for Harriman in 23 minutes of playing time. Haskell had two saves for the Chargers in 62 minutes of action, followed by Karli Newton who did not face a shot in her 28 minutes on the field.
UAH had a 7-2 edge in corner kicks while Tusculum was flagged five times for offsides to one for the Chargers. Tusculum was also whistled for 12 fouls while Alabama Huntsville had seven fouls along with the match's only caution.
Tusculum will open its South Atlantic Conference schedule on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Lenoir-Rhyne, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Bears have played to draws in each of their first two matches against Lee (1-1) and Mount Olive (0-0).
