MONROE, La. – First year
Charli Harris notched her first career goal in ULM's (1-0-1) victory over Alcorn State (0-2), one goal turning to two as she also collected her first brace. Five different ULM players were able to score against the Braves, with nine Warhawks recording points in the 6-1 victory. Head coach
Antony Blackburn also recorded his first career win in the books as ULM's head coach.
An early shot by
Beth Strutton set the tone as the Warhawks outshot Alcorn, 17 to 7. But the Braves fought right back as two shots on target had to be saved to prevent the score from the opponent.
In the 27
th minute, after four shots and no score for ULM,
Maria Thania Gealon netted the first goal of the day to set the tone. It was Gealon's first of the season and second of her career, both goals categorized as game winners. Just 27 seconds later, Harris scored the first of her two goals, as
Bernadett Stefan collected her fifth career assist.
With the 2-0 lead secured Gealon got back to work with two more shots on the board. But it was fifth year returner
Giulia Franco who took care of the next goal, her first of the season and ninth as a Warhawk. Harris then followed just four minutes later, with a 41
st minute score to make it 4-0. The goal was assisted by
Georgie Knott, her career first, and
Stacey Qosja, her career second.
Entering the second half, ULM led by four goals, but they were not finished yet. Just 58 seconds into the second half,
Angela Moreno collected her first collegiate goal. It was assisted by
Jenni Huttunen, who registered her first assist as a Warhawk and 10
th of her career. Three minutes after the fifth goal for ULM, it was
Amy Sharkey who scored her first career goal, breaking free in the 49
th minute.
The Braves continued to fight, even as the Warhawks held the 6-0 lead with 30 minutes on the clock. Multiple shots came as
Jen Handy and
Maria Heuman collected saves to keep the score at nil. A yellow card came for Alcorn State's Annick Zouma, as possession shifted back in the Warhawk favor. In the 87
th minute, however, the Braves broke through, as Grace Ambrose scored the lone goal for the visitors.
The Warhawks extended their home victory streak to 11, dating back to the 2024 season, now 14-13-2 in home openers. Harris led the goal scorers with two, four points now under her belt to lead the team. Moreno, Sharkey, Gealon and Franco all recorded two points each as Stefan, Huttunen and Knott got one. Harris is the first freshman to notch a brace since 2022, when Ashley Washburn completed a brace against Grambling.
Gealon's three shots on target led the team, with three ULM players notching two shots on goal for the team's 12 in the contest. The Braves claimed the edge with six saves to ULM's five, both teams tying in corner kicks (2) and fouls (9).
ULM will hit the road during the week, traveling to face North Texas in Denton. Kickoff on Thursday (Aug. 20) is slated for 7 p.m.
