CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville's Allie Stevens broke a 1-1 tie with a goal in the 71st minute to give the Lady Tigers a 2-1 lead. CU held on late to preserve the victory over NCAA DII Trevecca Nazarene University Saturday night at Finley Stadium.
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Stevens' game-winner was the first of her career, as she was seeing her first minutes of playing time with the Lady Tigers.
"We struggled tonight," said CU head coach Thom Jones. "We didn't have our 'A' game. I decided to make a few changes. We had a lot of substitutions, way more than we normally do. Allie hasn't had her chance yet, but she made the most of it tonight."
Campbellsville (4-2, 0-1 MSC) seemed to let the heartbreaking 3-2 loss against Cumberland University on Thursday night carry over. The Lady Tigers started sluggish and their timing was off with their passing and ball control.
Mhairi Fyfe, a sophomore from Livingston, Scotland broke the scoreless tie in the 42nd minute, giving CU a 1-0 lead. Annie Hare delivered a pass to Fyfe inside the box and Fyfe finished her second goal of the season.
Campbellsville went into the half leading 1-0. The Lady Tigers were 3-1 coming into Saturday's game while leading at the intermission but that lead did not last long. Three minutes into the second stanza, Anna Hoffman went upper shelf to tie the game at one.
Hoffman led the Trojans with nine shots and seven were on goal.
It was the second straight game the Lady Tigers gave up early goals in the second half that changed the momentum of the game.
"It was the second straight game we came out a little lazy in the second half," said Jones. "It wasn't necessarily that we were being lazy, I just feel like we lost our focus. I told the girls we couldn't get turned towards the goal because they will take a shot, and that is exactly what happened. Hoffman dominated all night and made a fantastic shot. It was one of the most unbelievable goals I have ever seen."
Although, CU did not have its best game, this relentless group of Lady Tigers did not give in.
Campbellsville wasn't able to get behind the TNU defense very often, but when it did, Stevens was in the right place at the right time.
"Good teams finish strong," said Jones. "I was proud of the girls for fighting down the stretch and not giving in. It shows a lot about the young team we have but also the great leadership."
The Trojans' defense kept the ball on the opposite side of the field the majority of the night but a defensive breakdown did not give goalkeeper Liz Denton much of a chance on the winning goal.
CU goalkeeper Amanda Howard had eight saves in the win.
For the second straight game, Campbellsville allowed more than 15 shots. Trevecca ended the night with 17, including nine on goal.
Campbellsville will have a few days to relax and regroup before hosting the Marian University Knights (3-1-1-) Tuesday, Sept. 16. Game time is set for 6 p.m. ET at Finley Stadium and Citizens Bank Field.
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