Midfielder Tricia Mallory was honored on the field before the game as part of Senior Day ceremonies and then just seven minutes into the first half she scored a spectacular volleyed goal to lead Sam Houston State (7-8-1, 5-4 SLC) to a 2-0 win over A&M-Corpus Christi.
Defender Ashley Fluty crossed the ball to Mallory and she took a touch and turned to fire a shot on the half volley that went over the Islander goalkeeper and dipped under the bar into the back of the net.
After the game, head coach Tom Brown expressed his appreciation for Mallory, the school's second all-time leading goal scorer.
“I thanked Tricia before the game for being a program changer. That's what she's been during her time here. When she came in here she believed in a program that hadn't really done a whole lot,” Brown said. “It was a great goal that she scored tonight. To be able to hit the ball on the volley and get it to dip in over the goalkeeper is not an easy skill.”
The Bearkat defense was dominant throughout the game and didn't allow a shot on goal. Goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton was untroubled for most of the 90 minutes.
Mariah Titus doubled the Kats lead and sealed the win with a goal in the 74th minute. Forward Kaisa Marshall received the ball with her back to the goal near the six yard box and laid it off to Titus who shot it off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.
Titus leads the team with seven goals this season and Mallory is tied for second with four goals. Mallory's goal was the 26th of her career, one shy of Raquel Bueno's record of 27.
Sam Houston will play their final home game of the season Sunday as they host Southeastern Louisiana at 1 p.m.
