Oklahoma City, Okla. - Less than 48 hours removed from a disappointing loss, the Lady Firestorm executed a complete game and defeated Oklahoma City 3-1. This morning's match saw key contributions from midfielder Tatum Dowell, who scored her first goal as a member of the team, and goalkeeper Brenna Sonsini who handled seven saves in the second half. ACU now possesses a 4-1 record away from home and carries momentum in GSAC play beginning on September 28th.

Score:  Arizona Christian 3, Oklahoma City 1
Records:  Arizona Christian 5-2-1 (0-0-0) | Oklahoma City 3-2-1 (0-0-0)
Location: Brian Harvey Field - Oklahoma City, OK

STAT TRACKER

Cami Mercado - 1 goal, 3 shots on goal
Cadence Peroff - 1 goal, 2 shots on goal
Tatum Dowell - 1 goal, 1 shot on goal
Rachel Clark - 1 assist
Justyne Underwood - 2 shots, 1 on goal
Brenna Sonsini - 8 saves

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

The Oklahoma City University Stars made the first offensive push of the game, with two corner kicks and a header from Reese Roberts that was on target. Brenna Sonsini was up to the task and successfully saved the header attempt, for what would end up being her only save of the first period. ACU responded on the offensive end, with midfielder Shayla Mobo finding an opening and hitting the crossbar with her kick. Forward Cadence Peroff was in the right place at the right time, and sent Mobo's near miss into the back of the net for the Firestorm's first score and her second goal of the season.

OCU retained possession for the next few minutes and fired off three shots, but none truly threatened. As ACU transitioned to the offensive side of things once again, midfielder Tatum Dowell, in only her second game with the Firestorm, dissected the Star's back line and delivered a second goal for her squad in the 39th minute.

A 2-0 advantage at half, Coach Gina Cormier kept Sonsini in at goalie. Sonsini was tested right away as she executed two saves, one being a penalty kick, within the first two minutes of the second period. The Stars launched seven more shots over the following 12 minutes of play, but Sonsini and the Firestorm back line held firm and did not concede a score.

In the 64th minute, midfielder Cami Mercado all but cemented ACU's victory with a goal courtesy of Rachel Clark, for her sixth of 2023. Sonsini had another two saves in a short time period, but OCU's Abby Russell finally broke the glass and put the Stars on the board with her fourth goal of the year. While the Star's Ciana Carlton sent in one more scare in the 83rd minute, Sonsini did not waver. The Firestorm's 3-1 lead went final as the clock flashed zeros. 

THOUGHTS FROM COACH GINA CORMIER

"Overall, we are happy with our road trip," Coach Cormier said. "While we would have liked a more competitive result in our first game on Thursday, I was proud of the team's response in coming out and working hard to get a strong win today. We continue to learn in those areas where we need to improve, and to emphasize the positives in our team play going into the conference season."

NEXT MATCH

The Lady Firestorm will return to Glendale for 10 days of practice before traveling to Jessup University for their first GSAC game of 2023 on September 28th. Conference play for ACU will kick off at 1:30 PM. Follow along with live stats at https://jessupathletics.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary and watch the live stream at https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian/. 


Roll Storm!