Soccer splits weekend matches

The University of Miami women’s soccer team won the Florida Gulf Coast Embassy Suites Classic in Fort Meyers with a 2-0 win over Kent State University Sunday.

The Hurricanes started the invitational with a tough loss to Arkansas on Friday 1-0.

The lone goal came in the 56th minute when Arkansas’ Erin Moskos shot on an empty net after a pass made it past the UM backline, and junior Vikki Alonzo slipped when trying to intercept it.

Alonzo would redeem herself quickly enough; stopping her third penalty kick in the season when Allie Chandler shot the ball left, and Alonzo timed her dive perfectly to stop it.

Both teams had chances in the first half, including an annulled goal in the 24th minute when Arkansas’ Kelsey Allison was called offside.

Sophomore Jordan Roseboro had a chance of her own with a great give and go with freshman Blake Stockton which she was able to hit past the goalie, but the ball hit the right post.

Senior Brittney Steinbruch led the Canes with five shots in the game.

The Hurricanes had a chance to redeem themselves against Kent State on Sunday, beating the Flashes 2-0 with goals by senior Brittney MacDonald and sophomore Kate Howarth.

The Hurricanes outshot their opponents throughout the game, specifically in the second half when they outshot Kent State 12-2.

Their dominance finally came through in the 51st minute when a corner by sophomore Olivia Chang was headed into goal by MacDonald. The ball bounced around in front of the goal and was called as a goal by the linesman against protestations by the Kent State players.

In the 67th minute, Howarth extended the lead with a sliding shot to the left part of the net. Senior Lauren Singer brought the ball into the box and centered it to Jordan Roseboro who was able to get the ball back to Howarth.

With the goal, Howarth ties Brittney Steinbruch as Miami’s leading scorer with three goals in the season.

Alonzo, who only faced five shots during the game, recorded her second shutout of the season and 19th of her career.

 The victory was enough to give the Hurricanes the victory in the Classic, with four Canes players being voted into the All-Tournament team.

MacDonald, Howarth, Alonzo, and Steinbruch were elected for the All Tournament team while Steinbruch was voted All-Tournament MVP. Steinbruch led the team in shots on the weekend with 13 shots.

The Hurricanes next host the Hurricane Cup next weekend with FAU, North Dakota State, and West Virginia coming to play in Cobb Stadium.

The Hurricanes open up the Cup against West Virginia Friday Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and close out the cup Sunday Sept. 12 at 1:30 p.m. against North Dakota State.

Debora Rubi may be contacted at drubi@themiamihurricane.com.