Wymann earns first win, Troy victorious in home opener

Troy soccer celebrates after Bella Hartofelis scores against Stetson Saturday afternoon. Troy Athletics photo

The Trojans soccer team came up with a huge 2-0 win over Stetson Saturday afternoon, following another loss on the road against Southeastern Louisiana, 1-0, on Thursday.

In the loss Thursday against Southeastern, Troy was able to shoot more than double against the lions with an impressive 16 shots that could not find the back netting.

Four of those shots were taken in the first 20 minutes, all from Irene Torres who even tried a bicycle kick that would creep over the net. Unfortunately, even with Troy’s pressure, the Lions would receive a corner, where SLU’s Ella Quinlan would score off a header to make it 1-0.

The Trojans keptthe pressure up all the way into the start of the second half, leading to a corner where Alaina Uncapher would turn and take a rip at the ball. The ball would deflect off one of SLU’s players into the framework, and Troy would equalize off a tap in.

Unfortunately, the equalizer would be called offside.

The Lions would maintain possession for the remainder of the game and hold their 1-0 lead against the Trojans to win.

"I thought the girls were good,” said head coach Jake Wyman. “We just couldn't get it over the line.

“A bit unfortunate to not get something out of it. Final product needs work, but we are making progress. We're going to keep chipping away at this thing." 

And progress was made going into their game on Sunday, with the Trojans putting two goals up against the Hatters in Troy’s home opener. This game would mark the first win for Wyman as Troy’s head coach.

"It's pretty surreal right now,” Wyman said. “I'm just proud of the girls.

“Obviously happy to get the win, but for me, they've worked really hard since July 19 and probably all summer long. To get to this point, I thought we probably deserved a little more after the Southeastern [Louisiana] game, and to finally come out on top; I'm proud of the group for all the work they put in and for it to pay off." 

The Trojans and the Hatters came out composed at kickoff, putting up only two shots on goal in the first 14 minutes. That would change in the 31st minute, however, after a crafted set piece off a corner allowed Madisyn Marchesi to head the ball into the top right post for the first goal of the season.

The Hatters were able to craft some quick spells towards the end of the first, but Imani Hamilton and Marchesi were quick to react and thwart any real chances from Stetson.

In the second half, the Trojans would come out with a very high press against the Hatters, causing plenty of issues for Stetson’s backline. In the Chaos, Bella Hartofelis pinged the ball just out of reach of the goalkeeper along the 18-yard box and scored the second goal of the game.

Troy would have two more close attempts at goal, with Irene Torres hitting the framework after ripping a shot near the 18, and another shot deflecting off a player and hitting the post again.

After a couple close encounters with the Hatters toward the end of the match, the final whistle would blow, securing Troy’s first win of the season.

"The girls went out and executed the game plan,” Wyman said. “I thought they did well in all three phases of the game including set pieces.

“We're delighted to get the first win of the year, and I thought the girls were excellent throughout the game." 

The Trojans will look to use their momentum as they head on the road again to take on Alabama on Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.