WEATHERFORD – SWOSU Soccer struck three times in the opening half Wednesday afternoon and controlled the match from there, defeating Southern Nazarene 3-1 to avenge an earlier road loss to the Crimson Storm.
The Bulldogs (5-3-4, 3-2-1 GAC) produced 19 shots and placed 12 on goal while limiting SNU to three shots on target. All three SWOSU goals came during a 15-minute stretch in the first half.
Kinsey Geasland opened the scoring in the 22nd minute. Following a throw-in, Madelyn Kitchen held off her defender to gain possession and quickly found Geasland, who created enough space to fire a right-footed shot off the post and into the net. It was Geasland's team- and conference-leading seventh goal of the season.
SNU equalized less than four minutes later, but the tie did not last long.
SWOSU regained the lead in the 33rd minute during a quick transition sequence. Kitchen found Raniya Cattina in stride, and Cattina carried the ball forward before sending it across the field to Braelee Epp. Epp narrowly beat the charging goalkeeper to score her fifth goal of the season, ranking second both at SWOSU and in the GAC.
Kitchen then moved from distributor to scorer just over three minutes later. A foul outside the box set up a free kick for Saoirse Hourigan, whose attempt was knocked down by the goalkeeper but redirected directly to Kitchen. She headed the rebound home to give the Bulldogs a 3-1 halftime advantage.
Kitchen finished with a goal and two assists, contributing to all three Bulldog scores. Her third and fourth assists of the season moved her into the team lead and second place in the conference.
SWOSU protected its advantage throughout the second half, outshooting SNU 11-7 and not allowing a shot on goal over the final 45 minutes.
Geasland led the Bulldogs with five shots, while Kitchen added three. Epp and Maya Thornburg each placed both of their attempts on goal. Lelu Lamb made two saves in net.
The victory earned SWOSU a split of the regular-season series after SNU won the first meeting 2-1 in Bethany.
SWOSU returns to action Saturday, October 10, with an 11 a.m. road match against Northwestern Oklahoma State in Alva.
