Senior forward Jade Flory and sophomore forward Angela Black combined for three goals and two assists to help the Morehead State soccer team score a 4-1 victory over Sun Belt Conference opponent Appalachian State on Friday evening (Sept. 5) at Jayne Stadium.
Flory recorded Morehead State's first and last goals, with an assist in the middle. Black netted the Eagles' third score, with a helper on their final goal.
Flory, the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, is up to five scores and two assists on the season. Black, who was last year's OVC Freshman of the Year, now has three goals and one helper. Both rank among the league leaders in multiple statistical categories.
"Jade and Angela are very special players," Head Coach Warren Lipka said. "There's a reason why they won major conference awards last season. Jade has a legitimate chance to be a two-time OVC Player of the Year, while Angela is only a sophomore and I'm glad we have her for three more seasons.”
The Eagles improve to 3-0-2, while the Mountaineers slip to 2-2-0. MSU was 0-4-1 after five matches in 2013 and didn't secure its third victory until Oct. 6.
"I was pleased with the way our young ladies played tonight," Lipka said. "They were happy to be home after opening the season with four straight road matches. I thought our energy and focus were good from the very start in this one. We're off to a much better start in 2014, and I hope that continues."
Senior forward Macy Cobb scored Morehead State's other goal, in the 23rd minute, off an assist from senior midfielder Paige Weber. The Eagles posted advantages of 18-11 in shots, 6-5 in shots on goal and 6-2 in corner kicks. MSU is +27 in shots and +18 in SOG through five matches this year.
Junior goalkeeper Elizabeth Floyd registered four saves for Morehead State. She has played every minute in goal for the Eagles this season.
Senior defender Morgan Fancher tallied Appalachian State's only goal, while senior forward Julia Holz notched an assist on the play in the 17th minute.
"We did a nice job finding space behind App State's line tonight," Lipka said. "They played pretty high and we took advantage of that. We sent several quality balls into our strikers, so we could run onto them. This was also the best defensive game we've played this season."
Nearly 500 fans were on hand for the home opener at Jayne Stadium.
"I thought our atmosphere tonight was terrific, and our young ladies need that throughout the season," Lipka added. "I especially appreciate all of the other student-athletes who came out. That's one of the great things about Morehead State. We're one big athletics family."
Morehead State continues non-conference action on Sunday (Sept. 7) at Southeastern Conference opponent Kentucky. The 6 p.m. match, which will be played at the brand-new Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex, is part of the SEC Network Plus package and will be shown on ESPN3.com.