Saluki Soccer toughs it out to earn home tie vs UNI

By Joseph Bernard, Sports Editor|October 9, 2022

Saluki senior Andrea Rodriguez kicks the ball on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019 during the Salukis’ 0-2 loss against SIUE Cougars at the Lew Hartzog Track & Field Complex.

By Joseph Bernard, Sports Editor

SIU Soccer’s (6-3-3, 3-1-2 MVC) second-half efforts were rewarded Sunday afternoon when they managed to salvage a tie against the UNI Panthers (4-5-5, 1-2-4 MVC) in a 1-1 battle.

Senior Forward Emma Spotak’s goal in the 64th minute led the Dawgs to the draw after no luck getting to the net all afternoon.

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Offensively, the Salukis were led by senior Sam Dodd, who rallied off three of SIU’s five shots on goal throughout the match. Only junior Ashlyn Henrie and Spotak were the other players to manage a shot on goal, with Spotak’s being the only one to hit the back of the net.

On defense, senior goalkeeper Maddy Alaluf managed three saves but allowed a goal in the 11th minute of the contest.

The Salukis really wanted to get out to a hot start, with two of their shots on goal occurring in the first ten minutes of play. But then, a corner kick gave the Panthers the first big chance at scoring points, and they didn’t waste the opportunity and went up 1-0 after a goal.

The score would remain the same entering the locker room at the half, with SIU not tallying another shot on goal in the other 34 minutes of the frame.

More opportunities would come the Salukis’ way in the second half though, as Dodd would try for another shot on goal in the 54th minute that ended up being saved. But then, an offsides call by UNI was called and within a minute, Spotak found the space she needed to send it into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.

Last-minute comeback attempts by the Panthers ensued, with Alaluf spoiling two different shots on goal in the 70th and 81st minutes. Dodd added her third shot on goal to complete the comeback with a win, but that was spoiled by UNI as well, leading to a 1-1 tie between the Salukis and the Panthers.

The Salukis will be back in action on Thursday with another home game against Murray State this Thursday with a 6 p.m start time.

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Sports editor Joseph Bernard can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Jojobernard2001.

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