In a game with offensive firepower from both sides, the Miami Hurricanes’ soccer team proved to be an even matchup for the SMU Mustangs, concluding in a 3-3 tie. The match, held at Cobb Stadium, saw freshman Giovana Canali record the first multi-goal game of her career, while sophomore Crosby Nicholson reached the back of the net for the second week in a row.
Head coach Ken Masuhr praised his team’s effort during the contest.
“Getting points in this league is incredibly difficult, and while it stings to give up chances, I am proud of our response,” Masuhr said. “We will learn from this performance as we prepare for two important matches on the West Coast.”
The ’Canes set the tone early. Less than five minutes into the match, Canali recorded her fourth goal of the season off a pass from Kyla Gallagher, putting Miami up 1-0.
SMU quickly came back in the 19th minute with a long-range goal of its own to tie the match at 1-1. In the waning moments of the first period, SMU and Miami created good looks, but no goals were scored, and the game remained at an even 1-1 going into the half.
The second half began with another quick goal – this time from SMU. The Mustangs took advantage of a breakdown in the Miami defense, putting them up 2-1 in the contest.
The Hurricanes continued to press, with their efforts paying off in the 62nd minute when they earned a corner kick. This prompted freshman Ciara Alarcon to give a quality pass to Canali, who then scored for the second time in the contest, evening the match at 2-2.
SMU regained the lead during the 70th minute with an exceptional strike to take the lead back at 3-2, but Miami didn’t back down.
Just three minutes after this, Julia Edwards navigated through the defense to find Moira Flynn, who quickly passed to Nicholson, who slotted a shot to the back of the net to tie the match once again at 3-3.
With the game coming down to the final minutes and Miami coming close to earning the win, the match ultimately ended in a draw. UM finished with 18 shots, 10 on target, with the Mustangs recording 10 shots and four on goal.
The Hurricanes now turn their attention to an upcoming two-game road trip to California, beginning with a tough matchup against the Stanford Cardinal on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 10 p.m.