FARMVILLE, Va. – Fisayo Iluyomade played a phenomenal game off the bench, scoring a goal and recording an assist in the first half to lead American University women's soccer to its first win of the season on Thursday evening against Longwood, 2-1.  
 
QUICK NOTABLES

• Iluyomade came on in the 19th minute and went right to work. She picked up the first assist of her career on a through ball to Tate Jordan in the 33rd minute.
• Jordan has played a lot of soccer in an AU uniform. Her last time scoring a goal was in the first game of her career against Mount St. Mary's on Aug. 16, 2018, a stretch of 35 games between goals for the senior.
• With the victory, head coach Marsha Harper picks up the first win of her career.

QUOTABLES

Coach Harper on her first career win as a head coach

• "It feels great. I told the girls after the game, and I got a little emotional and teary-eyed with them, and Matt [Freibaum] said it perfectly, 'Winning is hard.' To win in the fashion that we did, with so many players playing as well as they did, was awesome. The girls kept talking about playing for the woman next to them. I felt that this game was a perfect example of that. So, it was exciting and emotional, all at once."

Coach Harper on setting the tone in the first half

• "That's something that we've been talking about: Playing a complete 90 minutes of soccer and starting on the front foot and being the enforcer. We were definitely the aggressor on the offensive end and defensively, we were sound. We were proud of them for setting the tone early."

Tate Jordan on getting Coach Harper her first win

• "Honestly, that felt even better. At the end of the game, we all did a big group hug and it was a good feeling. We knew we all played really hard and played a solid 90 minutes of soccer. That's one thing [Coach Harper's] been saying, to play a good, full game. I don't think we had done that until today, so that was really exciting for everybody."

Emily Smith on the new offensive strategy this season

• "Playing with two forwards, I think we've been getting better each game. Today, they made it happen. I think we're starting to really get the flow of the midfielders and forwards connecting and it's really fun to play and see."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• American controlled the pace of play throughout the entire first half, placing three shots on goal in the first 17 minutes of action.
• In the 33rd minute, the Eagles offense finally broke through. Iluyomade played a beautiful through ball ahead to Jordan, who masterfully placed the ball just inside the near post below the keeper's reach to put AU on top.
• Less than five minutes later, Iluyomade would score a goal of her own.
• Emily Smith drove a long feed toward the Longwood goal that Iluyomade chased down before striking the ball into the top left corner to give AU a two-goal lead.
• Smith now has two assists on the season and seven in her career.
• Longwood responded with a goal of their own 47 seconds later. The Lancers launched a free kick into the box that bounced off of Julia Kato's hands and into the net for a goal.
• AU regained their composure to end the half and went into the locker room ahead, 2-1.
• American's defense held strong in the second half as Longwood pressed for an equalizer. The Lancers had five shots in the second half compared to none for the Eagles.
• Longwood's best chance to draw even came in the 71st minute, but Kato made a great save to keep AU ahead.
• In the final minute, Longwood had a few set piece opportunities to tie things up, but good goalkeeping and situational defense by AU allowed the Eagles to hold on for a 2-1 victory.

HIGHLIGHTS | Catch both of our goals today courtesy of @PatriotLeagueTV!

pic.twitter.com/dHj8dxMIj6

— American U. Women's Soccer (@AU_WSoccer) August 27, 2021

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• American out-shot Longwood in the first half, 9-3.
• The Lancers recorded three saves compared to one for AU.
• Both teams had three corner kicks.
• AU's offense was highlighted by Brooke Steel, Jordan, and Iluyomade, who all had two shots. 

UP NEXT

• AU will be back on the road on Sunday, Aug. 29 at Delaware State. This will be the third game of a four-game road trip.
• Kickoff in Dover, Del., is set for 2 p.m.
• The Eagles will be back at Reeves Field on Thursday, Sept. 9 against Old Dominion. 

KEEP UP WITH US

• For the latest on American University Women's Soccer, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_WSoccer), Facebook (AU.WSoccer) and Instagram (@au_wsoccer).