Oakland City, IN - In Oakland City University's season opener, the Lady Oaks soccer team hosted the Knights of Kentucky Christian University. Battling not only the opponents on the field, but also excessive heat, the Oaks proved up to the challenge, turning a 1-0 halftime lead into a 3-0 shutout to start the new campaign.
Claudia Melgar, freshman midfielder from Mexico City, Mexico, led a strong Oakland City University attack, assisting on OCU's first goal, finished by
Kennedy Hospelhorn, freshman forward from Evansville, Indiana, shortly before the halftime horn, both in their first game in the blue and white. Melgar powered in a perfect pass from
Maddie Myers, sophomore from Floyds Knobs, Indiana, in the 59th minute, giving the Oaks a 2-0. Myers capped off the scoring by finding the back of the net in the 88th minute, assisted by Hospelhorn, finishing a 3-0 victory for Oakland City.
Also making her OCU debut was
Annabelle Lansdale, a freshman from Newburgh, Indiana, who made two saves playing in goal for the Mighty Oak side, both in the second half, on her way to a shutout. The solid back line defense of
Ashley Underwood (Senior, Mt. Vernon, IN),
Maggie Hendricks (Senior, Henderson, KY),
Madison Ward (Sophomore, Newburgh, IN), and
Megan Knox (Senior, Tulsa, OK) held the Knights to just four shots, while the OCU offense took a total of 26 shots.
The Lady Oaks will put their 1-0 record on the line in the second game of a double-header in a Saturday matchup against Harris-Stowe State University, at Aigner Field, kicking off at 3:00, following the Mighty Oaks against HSSU at 1:00.
