Andrea Hauksdottir scored the game-winning goal on a penalty with 13 seconds remaining Thursday. USF ATHLETICS/TRAVIS PENDERGRASS
Senior midfielder Andrea Hauksdottir is from Iceland. This is a known fact.
Despite its name, however, her homeland doesn’t actually contain much frozen water — only about 11 percent is ice.
But now everyone knows Hauksdottir has ice in her veins.
After almost 110 minutes, Hauksdottir scored the decisive penalty to give No. 16 USF women’s soccer (6-2, 1-0) a 2-1 win over Tulsa (6-5, 0-1) in the AAC opener Thursday at Corbett Stadium.
The referee called the penalty on a Tulsa handball in the box with 13 seconds left in double overtime. With the score tied 1-1, the game was riding on Hauksdottir.
But she didn’t feel the pressure.
As cool as ice, Hauksdottir slotted it past the keeper for the win.
“I cleared my head before I stepped up to the ball,” Hauksdottir said. “It was just me, the ball and the goal … like I didn’t look at the goalkeeper.”
Hauksdottir’s penalty wasn’t as straightforward as the rest of the game, however. In fact, USF was on the back foot three minutes in after Tulsa forward Reagan Whitlow beat Bulls keeper Kat Haarman.
USF didn’t stay down for long, however. Senior forward Aubrey Megrath headed home the equalizer 10 minutes later with a Hauksdottir assist off a corner kick.
That goal was needed at that moment or the team would face the wrath of coach Denise Schilte-Brown, according to Megrath.“Our whole pregame talk was us scoring in the first 10 minutes,” Megrath said. “We all looked at each other and we knew Denise was not going to be happy.”
USF’s goal was set up by a corner kick, but it was not the first corner of the match. In actuality, the Bulls were given five corners prior to Megrath’s goal. At the end of the night, USF led Tulsa 15-1 on corner kicks.
“We should’ve scored more, honestly, I don’t know how we didn’t,” Megrath said.
The Bulls dominated the Golden Hurricane in shots, outshooting Tulsa 34-13. Only 35 percent of the Bulls’ shots were on target, however.
Despite the seemingly fairytale win, Schilte-Brown wasn’t satisfied with how the team was prepared for the matchup.
“I feel like the girls weren’t ready,” Schilte-Brown said. “I’m a little disappointed in us as a staff and the girls that started the game, just our mentality. It was too casual, there was a slow speed of reaction.
“I don’t think their focus was good enough, and that’s not every girl on the field. But I would say that 80 percent just wasn’t our best, so that’s disappointing.”
Schilte-Brown’s focus turns toward Sunday’s game against No. 21 Memphis. The Tigers defeated USF 3-0 in last year’s AAC Tournament final, and the Bulls will be looking to avenge their past selves.
But Schilte-Brown warned her players not to get caught up in the past and to focus on the task ahead.
“You’re going to understand who their key players are and their style of play,” Schilte-Brown said. “But as you saw tonight, it doesn’t matter who you play if you don’t show up.
“These girls are capable of showing up and putting absolute brilliance on the pitch, and that’s what we expect on Sunday.”
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