title image via Alabama A&M Soccer
Courtesy of Aliyah McDaniel | Assistant Athletics Communications Director
In the final match of their four-match home stretch, the Alabama A&M Bulldogs claimed the Battle of the Bulldogs, 3-0, versus the South Carolina State Bulldogs. Each goal was a career-first for the scorer.
AAMU would come out hot, with Jasmine Perez-Acostagetting a good look at the net in the sixth minute, but the ball would go out right. About two minutes later, the first goal of the match would come, courtesy of freshman Alicia Cohen, when she found the back of the net in the ninth minute for her first career goal. A few minutes later, Cohen would get another shot off, but it would be carried over the top of the net.
About 10 minutes later, Sophomore Méghane St-Cyr would score her first Bulldog goal, after tallying 16 shots during her freshman campaign last season. AAMU would get two more looks at the goal before Alabama A&M’s second leader in shots on goal, Czaské Deane, would finally tally one in the goal column in the 37th minute. The South Carolina State Bulldogs would notch their only on-target shot of the half in the 43rd minute, but AAMU keeper Liliana Ribeiro would nab it from the bottom center, retaining AAMU’s three goal lead going into the half.
With AAMU looking to keep the lead, and SCSU searching for a comeback, both teams entered the second half with intensity, each notching a shot on goal within the first 10 minutes. St-Cyr would try to send another to the back of the net, but SCSU keeper Chloe Anderson would notch her second save of the afternoon. Each team would get one more look at the net, but the Alabama A&M Bulldogs would ultimately blank South Carolina State and complete their longest homestand of the season.
Though the SCSU Bulldogs only tallied three shots during the match, they were all on target. Of the 13 shots AAMU took, seven of them were on goal.
Alabama A&M head coach Prince Borde was proud of the way the team played. “Great win today against a good disciplined and well coached team,” he said. “We are getting ready for SWAC play and this was a great dress rehearsal. I am very proud of this group.” He is pleased with the way the team battled through the weather conditions. “We played in some tough windy conditions”, Borde said. “We scored 3 first half goals. We go to Charleston Southern with the opportunity to create history.”
Alabama A&M will travel to Charleston Southern on September 21 for its final non-conference match of the season.
