Women’s Soccer Capture First Win of the Year

After a rough start this season, the 2006 UC Irvine women’s soccer team got its first taste of victory on Sunday, Sept. 10 when they shut out the Buffalo Bulls in a 1-0 victory.
The Anteaters started the game aggressively, taking three shot attempts in the first 10 minutes while Buffalo got only one look at Irvine’s goal. The tide seemed to shift for the next 10 minutes as the Bulls went on an unyielding offensive attack
But then, 25 minutes into the game, the Anteaters came alive. For two and a half solid minutes, they relentlessly attacked Buffalo’s defense, and at 27:43, junior defender Mackenzie Beam sent the ball into the back of the net to score what would eventually be the game-winning goal.
‘Once you get going to the goal, everybody’s real hyped up,’ said a modest Beam. ‘We’ve had a few chances [to score] and used the momentum into the game. It’s a lot easier to get a goal. Everyone’s more ready for a rebound. People are more hyped.’
A few minutes later, it looked like Buffalo was about to get even. On a heart-stopping midfield breakaway, the Bulls caught sophomore goalie Erin Henry away from her goal, but she still managed to stop her aggressor’s progress and Irvine once again gained control of the game.
Buffalo hit the field running hard at the opening of the second half and had their own momentum going for a little while, but their drive turned out to be harmless. After those opening minutes, the Bulls wouldn’t have another decent scoring opportunity for the rest of the game as the Anteater defense elevated their game. Irvine goalie Henry earned her first solo shutout of the season, turning away any hope the Bulls had of sending the game into overtime. Although Irvine consistently had opportunities on goal throughout the second half, with junior Frankee Kelly and senior Captain Lauryn Birkinkshaw shooting and setting up the ball, they never came up with any more goals. Even though the team has struggled offensively this season