Junior midfielder Veronica Davilla in possession SXU Athletics
Spring Arbor vs. Saint Xavier (4-1) L
The Women’s Saint Xavier soccer team went against Spring Arbor University on Sat. Sep. 14 in Spring Arbor Michigan (SAU.)
SXU fell to a 4-1 defeat in a non-conference game with Junior midfielder Veronica Davilla scoring the only goal for her team.
Both teams played an even first half, but The Cougars found themselves down 1-0 after 45 minutes. SAU came out in the second half to score three goals to run away with the game. Spring Arbor created good scoring moments and capitalized leading to a commanding win.
They scored the first goal 25 minutes into play. SAU doubled their lead in the 55th minute, but SXU responded a minute later to make it 2-1. They got back into the game after an assist from Sophomore forward Alex Jonaitis from the restart.
Freshman goalkeeper Melany Zuniga made her collegiate debut in the second half and had three saves.
Sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Dybass played in the first half and recorded a pair of saves but could not keep a clean sheet.
Jonaitis played the full 90 minutes, having two shots on goal, and recording her third assist of the 2024 season.
Junior midfielders Henry Hailey, Hope Lewis, and Davilla were the others who played 90 minutes.
SAU had 12 shots with nine going on target compared to The Cougars’ five with four at goal.
This was the first matchup between these two teams since Sept 26, 2006, when SXU came out victorious 2-1 at home.
Saint Xavier’s next match will see them travel to Crown Point, Indiana to face off against Indiana University Northwest in the start of the CCAC campaign. The game is scheduled to start at 6:00 pm. They are looking to start their conference season strong with three points on the road.
Arsenal vs. Tottenham (0-1) W
One of the fiercest rivalries in London, England between Arsenal F.C and Tottenham F.C played on Sun. Sept. 14 on what’s known as the ‘North London Derby’ at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Arsenal prevailed at the end, winning 0-1 away from home. Brazilian Center-back Gabriel Magalhaes scored the lone goal in the 64th minute after a perfect corner from right-winger Bukayo Saka.
This is now the third successive year that The Gunners have visited this stadium and taken all three points to once again have bragging rights over their rivals.
Recently Arsenal has dealt with injuries and suspensions, so they came into this game missing seven first-team players, with one of them being captain and Norwegian midfielder Martin Ødegaard. They had to call up another seven players from their academy squads, so Arsenal was thin on quality players off the bench.
Spurs started the game better and created two big opportunities to score in the first ten minutes, but Spanish goalkeeper David Raya made two incredible saves to keep his goal at zero.
At the 27 minute, Tottenham forward Dominic Solanke headed the ball across Raya, but it just went wide off the post and yet again they missed another to give them the lead.
Both teams looked even at the half, but Arsenal took the advantage in the second half and never looked back. They had opposites to score a second but Spurs’s goalkeeper made a few good saves.
The Gunners stood firm at the back, putting their bodies on the line and countering every attack that Tottenham gave to them by clearing the ball.
The referee blew his whistle at the 94th minute of the game, giving Arsenal their third win of the season and three points. They are now second in the Premier League, with three wins and one draw after 4 games with 10 points, two behind Manchester City’s 12.
The Gunners will take on Manchester City on Sun. Sept. 22 in another fascinating match between two title contenders. City is looking for its fifth consecutive Premier League title while Arsenal is looking for its first since 2003.