Kaedi Walther's second goal of theÂ
season was all ASU neededSecond half goals from Kaedi Walther and Aaliyah Lewis propelled Alabama State to a 2-0 win over Mississippi Valley State in the opening round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament.Â
"We played pretty well considering the elements," Head Coach
Jodie Smith said. "It was cool and extremely windy, lots of gusts of wind."
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"I thought it was one of our more complete games of the season in doing the things we wanted to do."
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Walther's goal came in the 69
th minute to put the Lady Hornets up 1-0. It was her second goal of the season. The two teams battled for another 13 minutes before Lewis' goal in the 82
nd minute put ASU up 2-0 and put the match out of reach. It was the 17
th goal of the season for the SWAC's 2014 Offensive Player of the Year.
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Mid-fielder
Shelbi Vienna-Hallam assisted on Lewis' goal. It was the 11
th assist of the season for the Second Team All-SWAC pick.
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"It kind of felt like if we could get the first goal we could get two or three more," Smith said. "They (MVSU) countered when they could. We probably should have had three more goals. I am not being greedy but we were in the box three or four times and did not get a shot off."
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ASU (11-9) finished the match with an 18-9 discrepancy in shots, including five corner kicks compared to none for the Devilettes.Â
Kylee Hathaway finished the match with three saves in picking up her sixth shutout of the season.
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The two teams went into the locker room at halftime in a scoreless tie. ASU controlled most of the opening half as they outshot MVSU (4-11-3) 8-4 and had four corner kicks compared to none for MVSU.
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The win for ASU is their eighth consecutive win which is the longest winning streak in the history of the program. ASU moves into the semifinals set for 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7 when they will face the winner of Thursday's late match between Southern and Prairie View A&M.
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"We will get back to the hotel tonight after we eat and try to get a good night's rest," Smith said. "We get up tomorrow and go through our morning stretching routine and rest some more and then gear it back up for tomorrow night."
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-Hornets-