Soccer comes alive in second half against Dallas Baptist

After five away games, the Belles soccer team played at home Thursday, Sept. 17 and took on Dallas Baptist.

The Belles’ first home game of the season started off rough, with Dallas Baptist scoring the first goal in seven minutes.

“We started slow when we came out, but we are stronger than when we started,” forward Tiffany Dang, sophomore, said.

The Belles first half did not show how well they had done on the road, but in the last ten minutes of the half the Belles stepped up the pace.

“Our energy was a game changer,” forward Demi Tsambasis, junior, said. “We knew we came out short, and we wanted to show that we had more to give.”

When half time was over and the Belles took the field again, it was like a whole new team came in; the team that dominated in away games with a 4-0 winning streak arrived, and the fans rejoiced.

“In the first half, we got outplayed,” Head Coach Travis McCorkle said. “But the second half, the girls responded great and the fans were awesome.”

From the start of the half, the Belles’ offense took over Dallas Baptist, managing to score three goals.

“In the second half, the mid-fielders did a good job pushing us forward and the second half of offense dominated,” Coach McCorkle said. “We gave Dallas Baptist all they could handle, and to get three goals is a good sign for us.”

Hayley Mendel, midfielder for the Belles, got the first goal for the team, and after that the Belles began their attack.

“We worked well at the net, and we changed our pace to win,” Dang said.

Dang’s impressive footwork faked out the opposing defense and earned her a goal, with an assist from Sierra Anderson, forward and midfielder. Tsambasis scored the last goal of the game with another assist from Anderson.

“Our energy in the second half changed,” Tsambasis said. “We knew we were going to win it.”

As for the rest of the season, fans need to watch out for the Belles offense, according to Coach McCorkle. He also plans for the Belles to keep improving and win trophies.

“We all bring something to the table and there’s nothing for fans not to like,” Dang said. “We just need to have a consistent start and fight hard all 90 minutes.”

The team also destroyed University of Texas- Permian Basin on Sept. 20 with a score of 9-1, and continued their winning streak.