Quick Start Lifts Gamecocks Past LA Tech For First CUSA Win

Sunday, September 29

JACKSONVILLE

1:00 PM

Jacksonville State University

6-6-0, 1-2-0

Louisiana Tech

2-4-5, 0-1-2

Team	1	2	Final F
Louisiana Tech	0	0	0
Jacksonville St.	4	0	4

9/29/2024 4:07:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The Jacksonville State soccer team raced out to a 4-0 lead in the first half to cruise to its first Conference USA win of the season with a 4-0 decision over Louisiana Tech on Sunday afternoon at the Jax State Soccer Complex.

The Gamecocks wrapped up the first full weekend of league play with a 1-1 mark and posted three wins in the last five matches of a 10-day span with the result over the Bulldogs. Jax State moved to 6-6 on the season and 1-2 in CUSA matches. LA Tech dropped to 2-3-5 overall and 0-1-2 in the league.

Junior Nancy Almanza and turned in an impressive performance with a pair of goals on six total shots, while Junior Naroa Domenech recorded four points on the day with a goal and a pair of assists. Junior Nanaka Inaba produced one of the four Gamecocks' goals in the first 45 minutes.

Almanza, from DeLand, Florida put Jax State on the board early with the first of her two netted shots in fifth minute. She capped off a 17-shot first half output by Jax State with her second goal of the opening half with a goal off of a corner kick. Domenech added her goal in the 16th minute with an assist from graduate Melissa Kuya Strobel. Inaba tallied the third goal of the period in the 32nd minute.

"We have been close for the last couple of weeks and that performance is what we have been seeing in practice everyday and that is what we expect from out team, so I thought it was really good today," said head coach Sean Fraser. "It all clicked for us today and we jumped on them early today and getting one early was big and then getting the second goal just builds confidence, I am happy for the kids, they deserve it."

The Gamecocks finished with a 26-9 advantage in total shots, including 11 shots on goal against the Bulldogs. Jax State also took advantage of 13 corner kick opportunities and had 11 different players record a shot attempt. Including Almanza's six shots, Domenech carded four, while Inaba posted three in the win.

Jax State goalkeeper Poppy Bastock turned in her third shutout of the season and recorded three saves.

"We have to capitalize on this momentum and we are at a point where the kids just want to come out and play and that is a good place to be," added Fraser.

The Gamecocks will get their first CUSA road tests this weekend against Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky. The trip begins on Thursday with a stop in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Match time against the Blue Raiders is set for 7 p.m. The weekend trip continues to Bowling Green, Kentucky on Sunday for a 1 p.m. start time with WKU.