University of Southern Mississippi Athletics

Rivera's Golden Goal Lifts Golden Eagles in Double Overtime
9/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
"It definitely feels pretty amazing, especially since it is my first goal," Rivera said of her game-winning goal. "All that was going through my head was `don't miss.' Missy was to keep making that run because it was working. I did it and when she passed me the ball all that was going through my mind was doing it in practice and getting it to the far post."
"It is really good to see the team responding to what we are teaching them," said head coach Mohammed El-Zare. "It was a well-earned goal for Andrea, but also for our team."
The Golden Eagles recorded 17 shots on the day, including eight shots on goal. The Black and Gold were evenly matched as Arkansas State finished with 18 shots, including seven on frame. The game remained scoreless until Rivera's goal in the 102nd minute. The goal was the first of Rivera's career, while the assist was Wentz' first helper of the season.
Defensively, Southern Miss recorded seven saves. Starting goalkeeper Shelby Presnell earned her first collegiate victory, notching a complete-game shutout. The newcomer tallied six saves en route to the shutout. The defense was aided by a team save, as a defender stepped in front of a shot to prevent a goal.
"Arkansas State is a good team - top two or three in their league," El-Zare said. "It is a great result for us going forward and building some confidence. I am really proud of the team. We worked on some things the last 10 days and they came in today and executed what we had been working on and I am really excited about that.
"It is a huge confidence builder for us, especially for our defense. They are starting to get comfortable playing together."
Southern Miss returns to the pitch on Friday, Sept. 19 as the Golden Eagles play a game at Alabama A&M (4:00 p.m.) before hosting Southern in a game slated for Sunday, Sept. 21 (1:00 p.m.). Live stats and in-game tweets (@USMGoldenEagles / @SouthernMissSoc) will be available throughout the home game.