Only a round of storms could halt the women’s soccer team as they kicked off play with a busy first week. Their home opener against Marquette will go down as a no-contest as storms came down on Hermann Stadium, providing a much-needed respite after three games on the road.
The Billikens recorded their first victory of the year at Evansville; they scored twice in 21 seconds, late in the second half, to top the University of Evansville 2-0. The Billikens dominated possession the entire game, especially in the second half, led by forward Jenny Hummert’s one goal on four shots. The win came as a welcome breakthrough since the Bills lost to Ole Miss and battled to a hard-fought tie with Southeast Missouri State after a second-half offensive onslaught similar to that of Friday night.
Kat Mertz, the head women’s soccer coach, is certainly happy with the way the team has grown after the first full week of competition; the team has positive experiences to draw from before they return to action this Friday at Hermann Stadium against Denver. When she began her first year as coach, Mertz expected a large contribution from veterans at the beginning of the season and has seen it, but some new faces have also surprised her. At the top of the list is midfielder Jamei Borges, who helped lead the Billikens to their road win at Evansville with the first goal. While not finding the back of the net yet, sophomore forward Abbey Stock, fresh off her Atlantic-10 All-Rookie season last year, has given defenses trouble thus far trying to stop her, leading the Bills in shots taken.
Stock and Borges are just a couple bright spots of the Billiken attack that Coach Mertz will try to build on, as the offense scored just 16 goals in 18 games last season. A former goalie herself, Coach Mertz has emphasized defense this summer, implementing a new system the team is still getting used to.
Mertz is certainly no stranger to success, leading the UNLV women’s soccer team to two NCAA tournament experiences prior to her most recent stint as an assistant at the University of Texas. Coach Mertz will look to use this experience as she begins rebuilding a team that went just 5-10-3 last season. The team is off to a fast start, and after taking an early beating from Ole Miss, seems well on the way to becoming a squad that lives up to the Billiken soccer tradition.
