Oct. 3, 2010
Box Score
RUSTON, La. - Senior Kiva Gresham had one goal and one assist to lead the Louisiana Tech soccer team to a 3-1 win over Nevada on Sunday at Lady Techster Soccer Field.
Tech improved to 11-3 overall and 1-1 in the Western Athletic Conference while Nevada fell to 6-5-2 (1-1, WAC). Last season, Nevada defeated Tech 5-0 in Reno, Nev. to end the Lady Techsters' season, but on Friday, Tech put forth a dominant performance as they outshot Nevada 16-7 (11-7 shots on goal).
"To win in that manner, against a top team like that, it's unbelievable what that can do for our confidence," Tech head coach Kevin Sherry said.
Junior Rachel King put Tech on the board first in the 17th minute with her 11th goal of the season. Gresham centered the ball to King who then turned and fired the shot from 10-yards out to give Tech a 1-0 lead.
In the 22nd minute, Gresham scored her seventh goal of the season from about 20-yards out on a pass from junior Scotti Culton.
Nevada scored their only goal of the game in the 23rd minute by Kori Disarunfino. She received the ball midfield and scored from 20-yards out in a one-on-one situation with Tech goalkeeper Caitlin Updyke.
Junior Chelsea White scored Tech's final goal in the 47th minute off a corner kick by Culton. White, a defender, positioned herself next to the near post and headed in her first goal of the season and just the third of her career.
"We've worked really hard at corner kicks and she is a part of that process," Sherry said. "It was a good delivery by Scotti and then a good finish."
An interesting fact in the game was the substitution pattern of each team. Nevada made 15 substitutions including their goalkeeper. Meanwhile, Tech did not make a substitution until the final two minutes of the game when freshmen Mia Schorpp and Emily Brennan entered the contest.
"The team I had on the field was doing so well. I didn't want to sub," Sherry said. "Then at the end, they were getting tired so I made a couple of changes."
With the win, Tech records its second-ever conference victory in their seven-year history. Last season, the Lady Techsters recorded a 2-1 double-overtime win over New Mexico State on Oct. 23.
"We've had a problem getting our first WAC win out of the way," Gresham said. "But this year we already have that first win out of the way so we can go on and keep fighting."
Tech takes its 1-1 conference record on the road to face Idaho at 5 p.m. CT on Friday.
