Cummins scores two as Soccer prevails in overtime
Aug. 18, 2012
Natalie England, TexasSports.com AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Soccer team turned a threat into a game-winner on Friday night at Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field. It was the Longhorns’ ability to transition a Dayton corner kick into an open-field attack that set up UT’s 3-2 overtime victory in the season-opening match. Kristin Cummins scored two goals and assisted on another for the Longhorns, and her curling strike from the left corner in the 99th minute proved to be the golden goal for UT. “If you don’t put (the shot) on frame, then all your work is useless,” Cummins said. “You just ran 120 yards and scored no points. So you might as well take your time, look for a spot, pick it out and put it in the back of the net.” Cummins’ fourth game-winning goal of her career was set up by an entire team effort. First-year head coach Angela Kelly comes to the Longhorns with a proven track record built around teams that are doggedly possession-oriented and who aggressively attack in transition, converting defensive pressure into a breakaway by feeding out to the farthest player downfield. Those traits marked Friday night’s triumph for the Longhorns, specifically in the crucial closing minutes. Following a Dayton corner kick, UT was able to clear the ball from the box and get a pass out to Hannah Higgins, the Longhorns’ senior speedster who was nearing midfield. With the outlet from freshman Sydney Shutter finding Higgins, she was able to dribble into the offensive third, as Cummins rushed to the outside wing position. Higgins placed her pass perfectly in front of Cummins, who maintained her poise long enough to settle the pass and set up a right-footed shot.
“We need to keep pushing no matter what. We really do need to work as a unit if we want to see success on the field,” said Shutter, who scored her first collegiate goal at the 80:38 mark against Dayton to temporarily give the Longhorns a 2-1 lead. “That’s what we ended up doing in order to score the game-winning goal. We worked together to get the ball out of the box and clear it up the field. As we were all running down, it just happened that Kristin was able to get a good hit on it.” With Higgins still in position by the back post, Cummins had two options – cross a pass to her teammate or go for the net. And the shot just curled inside the outside post to give UT the victory. It was Cummins’ second remarkable shot of the match, as she tied it at 1-1 during the 11th minute with a left-footed missile from 30 yards out. “Throughout her career, she’s shown that she’s willing to battle, and she certainly took the team on her shoulders this evening,” Kelly said of Cummins. |
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