GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College women's soccer team opened its 2016 season with a 3-0 victory over Concord University in a non-conference match Friday afternoon at Pioneer Field.
Coach Joy Interview | Olivia Kilgore/Carlie Thorber Interview
Olivia Kilgore, Nyssa Garrison and Ellie Tomassoni scored goals for the Pioneers (1-0-0), who outshot the Mountain Lions (0-1-0) by a 19-3 margin. Tusculum led 1-0 at halftime and added two goals in the first part of the second half to secure the win.
The Pioneers put constant pressure on the Mountain Lion goal in the first half, with the best chances coming in the 25th minute by Tomassoni and the 37th minute on a sliding try by Carly Mill that was covered by Concord keeper Emily Simpkins.
The Pioneers finally broke through just 39 seconds before halftime when Kilgore took a corner kick that ricocheted off Simpkins' hands, off the goalpost and into the net for a 1-0 Tusculum lead. The Pioneers finished the first half with a 12-1 advantage in shots over the Mountain Lions.
Early in the second half, the Pioneers extended their lead to 2-0 as Garrison deflected home a shot from Cheyenne Upton with 40:57 remaining. Tomassoni extended the Tusculum lead to 3-0 as she drilled a shot over Simpkins from 35 yards away with 20:26 left in the match. Garrison nearly netted her second of the match with just under 12 minutes to play, but her try from inside 10 yards clanged off the crossbar.
Tusculum's defense limited Concord to three shots on goal and did not concede a corner kick. Miriah Martin played all 90 minutes between the pipes for the Pioneers and registered the shutout. Simpkins played 73 1/2 minutes in goal for the Mountain Lions and made four saves before yielding to Kaylee Taylor for the final 16 1/2 minutes.
The Pioneers will be back in action on Sunday at 2 p.m. when they host West Georgia at Pioneer Field.
