Ferris State Drops 2015 Season Opener In Battle Of Bulldogs Against Truman State

Big Rapids, Mich. - A pair of goals only five minutes apart lifted host Truman State (Mo.) over the Ferris State University women's soccer squad by a 3-1 count in the Bulldogs' 2015 season opener on Friday (Sept. 4) in Kirksville, Mo.

Truman State scored twice early in the second half to break a scoreless tie and added another goal in the 85th minute before FSU finally got on the board with less than two minutes to play to avoid the shutout. The contest pitted two teams both nicknamed the "Bulldogs" and both from the NCAA Division II Midwest Region.

After a scoreless first half, Truman State's Megan Frkovic scored her first goal of the campaign in unassisted fashion off a free kick from outside the left edge at 50:56 of the second half.

Shortly after, in the 56th minute (56:20), TSU's Alexis Heffernan notched the first of her two markers on the day on a shot from 25-yards out that just made it pass the outstretched arm of Bulldog senior goaltender Maddie Haustein. It was aided by Stephanie Williams, who earned the assist.

Heffernan added her second goal at 85:40 off a Casey Maloney assist to push Truman State's advantage to three goals with less than five minutes to go.

Ferris State's lone goal came from junior defender Kate Kelly at 88:19 of the contest. Her unassisted tally came when she broke away past the left back and found the back of the net off the post.

Overall, Truman State held a 20-10 edge in total shots against the Bulldogs, which included an 11-1 margin in the first half before both teams totaled nine shots in the final 45 minutes.

Truman State's Katie Mattingly earned the win in net by making a pair of saves in 90 minutes while Haustein stopped five shots in 90 minutes of work on the Ferris State end. 

TSU also held a 5-1 edge in corner kick tries for the game. 

Kelly paced the Bulldogs with three total shots while Carley Dubbert had two for FSU. Heffernan had a contest-high seven shots, including four on goal, for Truman State.

The victory pushed Truman State's unbeaten streak on its home field at Bulldog Soccer Park to 13 matches dating back to 2013.

Ferris State wraps up its season-opening road trip with another regional match on Sunday (Sept. 6) versus Quincy (Ill.) with the contest set for a 1 p.m. (ET) start in Quincy, Ill.

The Bulldogs then host Indiana Wesleyan in their 2015 home opener on Wednesday (Sept. 9) with the non-league tilt set to begin at 4 p.m. (ET) at the FSU Soccer Field.