UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Panthers earned their first-ever GLIAC road win after squeaking past Saginaw Valley 1-0. Davenport tallied just two shots on goal during the 90-minute game compared to eight shots on goal by the Cardinals. Alayna Hilgendorf took advantage of her opportunities during the game, scoring the only goal of the game for either team. She was the only Panther to record a shot during the game.
 
THE BASICS
Final Score: Davenport-1 | Saginaw Valley-0
Location: University Center, Mich.
Records: Davenport 6-4-1 (2-2-1) | Saginaw Valley 5-5-1 (1-3-1)
 
SHOTS PER HALF (Shots on goal)
First Half: DU-3 | SVSU-11
Second Half: DU-4 | SVSU-5
Total: DU-7 (2) | SVSU-16 (8)


 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cardinals came out firing in the opening half, ripping off eight shots in 25 minutes, three of which Lorrin McCarty saved. Davenport matched the aggressiveness of Saginaw Valley throughout the first half. The Panthers had three corner kick opportunities and a couple shots that were not on target. Neither team found the back of the net in the first half as McCarty had five saves during the 45-minute period.
 
In the second half, Davenport kept almost all the same starters, swapping out Ashlyn Skidmore for Sabrina Stone. Hilgendorf scored a goal in the 57th minute to give the Panthers a much-deserved lead. The ball bounced around and Hilgendorf slipped behind the defense, finishing towards the near post about 10 yards out. This was her first goal of the season. After the goal, Saginaw Valley continued to provide offensive pressure at Davenport. Physical play down the stretch warranted yellow cards to Krystina Dunston and Lacey Chanady. Hilgendorf had another shot on goal during the 75th minute in which goalkeeper Alyssa Watts saved the shot. The Davenport defense did not allow one shot during the last 15 minutes of play.
 
COACHES CORNER
"Today was a quality win for us, our team was superb, especially in the second half," stated head coach Chris Allen. "It wasn't the prettiest of games, but we are 100% comfortable rolling our sleeves up and doing what is necessary to be successful in the GLIAC. Full credit goes to all our players today who encouraged, worked relentlessly and found a way to win the game against a very difficult opponent. Credit to Saginaw, they really took the game to us. However, many quality individual performances pulled us through. I am very happy with our teams win today, they fully deserve it and we look forward to another game on Sunday."
 
Story by: Devin Steiner
 
Picture credit: Eric Brookhouse