Spartans juggle defense and come up winners

The UT women (5-6-1) overcame Lynn University (6-5-0) on Sunday afternoon at Pepin Stadium in front of about sixty spectators. The 2-1 win gave the Spartans their first Sunshine State Conference win of the season.

The match saw the return of sophomore Kendall Bourdon to the Spartans' net. Bourdon had been replaced in the third match of the season by senior Saige Steinmetz. Steinmetz, who also plays defender, returned to the outfield position for the full 90 minutes on Sunday. Bourdon made three saves in recording her first win of the season.

The first half was scoreless due to Lynn only managing one shot during the first forty-five minutes and the Fighting Knights' goalkeeper Kelsey Butler made four saves to keep the Spartans off the scoreboard. Just after the break, Lynn gave up a penalty kick in the forty-eighth minute and Megan Tobin smashed home her third goal of the season from the spot.

The Fighting Knights showed more fight in the second half and manged to draw level in the sixty-first minute on a goal by their leading scorer, Melissa Ortiz. With time winding down, Sara Kneeland [above right] was the Spartans' heroine in the eighty-first minute, when she knocked home a rebound off the post for the winning goal. It was Kneeland's fifth goal of the season.

UT will try to make it two wins in a row this Friday afternoon when they host Florida Southern, game time 5pm.