Women's Soccer | 9/1/2017 10:23:00 PM

Box Score 1 Kearney, Neb. – Junior Kaitlyn Pawloski and freshman Megan Cook tallied goals and junior Ali Hirschman made several clutch saves to help Nebraska Kearney beat Montana State-Billings, 2-1, Friday night at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium.
 
This was the season-opener for both squads and the head coaching debuts of Chloe Roberts (UNK) and Stephen Cavallo (MSUB). After the win, Roberts got the obligatory water cooler shower from her players.
 
"I think things went well. The girls were awesome from the first whistle to the end," said Roberts. "We were high pressing, attacking and defended as a unit. There was a different mentality out there, one that is confident and positive and buying into what we're doing."
 
While UNK controlled the action for much of the night, the Yellowjackets had a great chance to grab the early lead. Just four minutes into the action, a Loper foul set up MSUB just outside the penalty box. However, Hirschman (Millard South) made a diving save on the direct kick taken by sophomore Alexa Iacolucci and also stopped a rebound shot off the foot of freshman Lizzy Light.

 
"We really didn't give them many chances. Just a couple of free kicks at the edge of the box and they had a girl (Iacolucci) with a laser of a left foot," said Roberts.
 
About 20 minutes later, redshir freshman Haley Mumm (Millard West) setup for an indirect kick from the right side of the field. She placed a perfect ball in the center and Cook (Bellevue West) headed in from inside the box for the first Kearney goal of 2017.
 
"Megan knows where the goal is. She has that natural talent of being a forward who knows where to run and what to do. That was a typical forward goal," said Roberts.
 
UNK kept up the pressure, getting two more shots off in the next 14 minutes before sophomore Maddie Love (Norfolk Catholic) saw her shot stopped by 'Jacket keeper Lili Delgadillo in the 39th minute. However, she couldn't corral the rebound and Pawloski (Hastings H.S.) was there to tip in for her second career goal.
 
The Lopers out shot MSUB 10-6 and two off sides calls waved off two goals. That allowed MSUB to hang around and sophomore Erin Reynolds seemingly was about to get her team on the board in the 68th minute.
 
On a bit of a breakaway, her 25-yarder was headed for the left corner of the Loper goal but a diving Hirschman got enough of her fingers on it to poke it away. She made her fifth and final save three minutes later but couldn't stop a direct kick taken by Iacolucci in the 87th minute. That came right outside the Loper penalty box again. 
 
"Ali has had a couple of tough years with some injuries. But she showed what she can do; she made a couple of awesome saves and, at the end of the day, that makes you win or lose the game," said Roberts. "I don't know of many keepers who could've made that save at the end."
 
Nineteen Loper saw action tonight, including four freshmen. Veterans Kelsie Ienn (Papillion-LaVista), Marika Van Brocklin (Hastings), Tori Weber (Lincoln S.E.) and Molly Willis (Kearney) each went the distance with Hirschman winning for the seventh time in her career.
 
"I told the girls before the game this is the time to show everyone the new UNK soccer. They did exactly that," said Roberts.
 
In the early game, Drury recorded a first half goal to beat Minnesota State-Moorhead, 1-0. On Sunday, MSUB faces Drury at 11 a.m. with the Lopers facing Moorhead at 1:30 p.m.