Strong second half not enough for Storm against St. Mary's

INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson women's soccer team outshot St. Mary's 9-4 in the second half, but a 2-0 hole was too much for the Storm as it fell in Friday's home opener at Buxton Stadium, 2-1.

Katherine Bird (Iowa City, Iowa) converted on Simpson's lone goal of the afternoon, taking advantage of a deflection off the Cardinal goalkeeper in the 80th minute.

"We played with more purpose in the second half," Simpson interim head coach Greg Velasquez said. "We were up against it in the first half, but we made some formation changes that yielded positive results."

Simpson (0-2) did not attempt a shot in the first half, but had a goal nullified by the third of five off sides penalties late in the first frame. Mollie McMahon (Des Moines, Iowa) flicked a header to Taylor Hallgren (DeKalb, Ill.) who fired a one-timer into the frame, but the goal was nullified after a brief discussion by the officials.

Amy Sibik paced St. Mary's (1-0), knocking in the first goal of the match and assisting on the second. Sibik found Dana Winkler from 10 yards out in the 55th minute to give the Cardinals a 2-0 edge.

The Storm continues its six-game homestand on Saturday afternoon when it hosts St. Catherine at Buxton Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.