SALEM, Ore. – In a season-opening exhibition match Saturday afternoon at the CFC Complex that will hopefully be a precursor of what is to come, Humboldt State women's soccer relied on the strength of two second-half goals to hold off host Corban by the final of 2-1.
 
The Jacks managed 16 shots, 12 in the second half, and seven shots on goal and limited Corban to just two shots on goal en route to their first victory of the season. Alex Jenkins scored a goal and assisted on Humboldt's other tally, while Myriah Epino contributed a goal, four shots, and three shots on goal.
 
"We did a really good job of keeping the ball moving at forward angles," said Head Coach Paul Karver. "That was a big thing for us today, making sure that when we were playing, we were playing with purpose and playing to get the ball going forward into at least the attacking third to create opportunities. And our girls did a great job of that, especially in the second half when things started to settle down."
 
The game was scoreless at halftime before Jenkins scored at the 54:13 mark. She was assisted by Rose Harman on a pass from the right corner. Corban rallied for the equalizer at 81:15 as Marissa Telarroja found the back of the net on a free kick, but the Jacks got the game winner when Jenkins assisted Epino at 85:40.
 
"At halftime we had some things we needed to sort out, with a lot of nerves with it being the first game for us," said Karver. "The big difference in the two halves was in our ability to adjust to them sitting a little bit deeper. An issue we had in the first half was that we were given space to play in, but we weren't very effective in the spaces we were given. So it became a lot of playing without a lot of real direction to it. In the second half we were able to make those adjustments and get the ball going forward getting into the spaces we wanted to get into and creating good opportunities."  
 
In addition to Jenkins and Epino, Coach Karver highlighted the contributions of Harman from the outside position creating goal-scoring chances.
 
Katelin Talbert ably kept goal for the Jacks in the first half before Nora Goodrie took over in the second, allowing a lone second-half goal while saving Corban's only other attempt.
 
HSU's aggressiveness showed in the box score, as the Jacks wound up with 13 fouls and seven offside calls, dwarfing the three and one, respectively, of its competition.  The Jacks also managed five corner kicks to Corban's one.
 
Karver thought this game was emblematic of his team's resiliency.
 
"I think moving forward the takeaways from this game were that we responded when we had to," said Karver. "We gave up a goal on a set piece that was caused by a bad foul at the top of the box, one that was a controversial call at best. A lot of times, in that situation, teams will give up two goals very quickly, and our girls came back and really pushed the issue to get the winner. I think that's the biggest takeaway in terms of the progress of this program; we were very much in control, we make a bad mistake, and now instead of folding we push forward and we drove on, and it was very important to see that from our players."
 
"The trust that they have in each other and the trust that we have in them as a staff is very strong and it goes very deep. That will allow us to continue to be successful," said Karver, who also related that the team is still working on chemistry in the final third, and when that comes together, "There will be a lot of fun opportunities."
 
HSU women's soccer team now turns its attention to the regular season-opening Lumberjack Classic beginning Thursday, Aug. 31 at College Creek Field. The Jacks home opener is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. following Sonoma State and Fresno Pacific's tournament-opening match.