GRAMBLING, La. – The ULM Warhawks (0-1) netted two goals against Grambling State (2-0) in a frenzy toward the end of the match, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Tigers, 3-2, in the season opener Friday.
Grambling started the game off strong, attacking hard and fast. Johanna Behrens was able to get a header shot off, but it was wide of the goal. ULM's Erika Wiest took the first shot of the game for the Warhawks, but it was saved by Hannah Johnson. Kailey Pena raced down the field and scored the first goal for Grambling at the 12 minute mark.
With 18 minutes left in the first half, the Warhawks attacked down the field and had several opportunities at a shot, but a foul on ULM stopped the momentum.
McKenzie Rizqi subbed in for ULM shortly after the foul and with eight minutes left, took a shot, but it went wide.
ULM went into halftime down 1-0.
"We, as a team, saw moments, but need to do a better job not taking our foot off the gas when we have momentum," said ULM head coach Keyton Wheelock.
The Warhawks came out in the second half fighting and saw their first goal of the game five minutes into the half. A beautiful assist from Victoria Altieri gave Camryn Ciaramella the perfect opportunity to score.
Two minutes later, Melissa Taft scored another goal to give the Warhawks a 2-1 lead.
"We saw a huge improvement in the second half with some great build-ups and some fantastic finishes," Wheelock said.
Grambling went back on the offensive minutes later. Laila Loring capitalized on three ULM fouls to score the game-tying goal 66 minutes into the game.
The two teams went right back at it. Grambling moved toward the goal several times, but a great effort by Alexiss Trudeau and the rest of the ULM defense stopped the Tigers in their tracks.
"Lexi Trudeau had a fantastic game and was not only solid defensively, but created some great opportunities," Wheelock said.
The last five minutes created the fastest pace either team had seen. ULM looked like it had scored, but a foul took the point away. With two minutes left, Grambling's Pena scored the winning goal for the Tigers.
ULM travels to Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday. The match starts at 5:00 p.m.
Links to live coverage, including live stats and video for Sunday's game at Southeastern, can be found on the soccer schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com. Follow along with all things Warhawk Soccer on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @ULM_Soccer.
