(September 17, 2025) Tishomingo, Oklahoma - After a non-region win on Sunday, the ladies headed out on Wednesday for their first road match of the season. It concluded their first round of Region 2 South Division matches. The Bucks took on a tough Murray State squad that split with the ladies last season with each team winning at home.
Murray State dominated the first half as the ladies struggled in the heat. UARM just couldn't put together a string of successive passes, which led to Murray having a lot of possession of the ball and pepperred goalkeepr Ramzee Matejka (Jacksonville, TX) with numerous long shots, but Matejka was always in the right position to be able to catch the Aggie high shots.
A significant tactical change was made for the second half which had an immediate effect on the game for the Bucks. They took control of the game away from Murray State. The first 30 minutes of the 2nd half was spent in the Aggie half of the field, as UARM created chance after chance in their search to break the deadlock. Halfway through, the dam broke, and the Bucks got on the scoreboard with a goal from Solange Depirou (St. Albans, England) as she dribbled past the keeper to roll the ball into an empty net after being put through by a well weighted pass from Flavia Marcano (Porter, TX). UARM kept up the pressure and was rewarded with a second goal with 10 minutes to go. Depirou broke down the right to cut the ball across goal for Summer Stout (San Antonio, TX) to tap in from close range. It was Stout's first collegiate goal.
Murray State rallied to try and force the ladies back, but the UARM defense stood firm and swatted away any possible attacks from forming. As the clock ticked down with only a few seconds left in the game, UARM sprang forward and instead of going into the corner to run the clock down, Maya Lane (Southend-on-Sea, England) went at goal from the right, and her cross/shot eventually was bundled into the net by Solange Depirou with only 2 seconds left on the clock. The Bucks left Tishomingon with a 3-0 region win.
Coach Sherry was proud of his team for overcoming early adversity and playing exceptionally well on the defensive end of the field. "This truly was a game of 2 halves. I am proud of the ladies hanging in there during the first half when they were being totally dominated by Murray State. The changes we made at the half had a significant effect on the game, and the team executed the plan exceptionally well. Solange Depirou will get the headlines for her goals and assist, but a special mention must go to Addison Gonzalez (Wylie, TX) and Rose Bilyeu (Bonner Springs, KS) in the heart of the defense that refused to be broken in that difficult first half. The most outstanding performer today from either team was Isabella Osorio (San Angelo, TX) at left defender. She constantly broke up attacks on her side of the field and was a constant threat to Murray State as she pushed forward to supply the UARM strikers with the ball. This was a great win on the road against a tough opponent."
The Bucks are now 5-0-1 (2-0-1 in region play). They will now begin their cross over matchups with the Region 2 North Division on Sunday against Redlands Community College. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 pm at Tapley Park in Mena.
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