Butler soccer broke a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 conference opening victory over Coffeyville at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex on Friday night.
The seventh-ranked Grizzlies (3-3 overall, 1-0 conference) received a goal and two assists from sophomore Kennedy Weaver, while freshman Aylin Torres and sophomore Katie Hartman each added a goal in the win.
Butler led 2-0 at halftime behind goals from Hartman and Weaver while outshooting the Red Ravens, 8-1. Hartman scored the opening goal in the seventh minute after receiving a pass from Weaver outside the 6' goal box. Weaver then added the Grizzlies' second goal by beating Coffeyville keeper Brylee Brister to the right side, with the assist coming from Torres.
Coffeyville broke the shutout bid early in the second half, as sophomore forward Alicia Lizarraga blasted a long-range shot from 25 yards that hit just inside the left post and into the goal.
Torres answered back in the 58th minute wiht a goal after taking a long pass from Weaver up the right side. Torres went straight at Coffeyville's Brister from 12 yards out, sliding a shot just off the hands of Brister and into the net.
Lizarraga again cut into Butler's lead with her second goal in the 63rd minute, countering on a Butler turnover in their own defensive end. After Andrea Comper stole the ball from a defender, she passed forward to Lizarraga while Butler keeper Elena Garcia came out of the box. Lizarraga shot from 15 yards out into the goal to pull the Ravens within one.
Butler outshot Coffeyville 20-7 and also had a 10-4 shots on goal edge. Garcia made two saves on four attempts while picking up her third win of the season.
The Grizzlies will continue Jayhawk Conference play on Sunday when they host No. 12 Johnson County at 7:00 p.m.
NOTES: Butler improved to 15-0-0 all-time against Coffeyville and 7-0-0 in games played in El Dorado... The Grizzlies increased their conference winning streak to 28 games, just three away from the school record (31 wins, Oct. 14, 2011-Oct. 12, 2014)... The two goals scored by the Ravens marks just the second time that Coffeyville has scored multiple goals in a game against Butler... The one-goal margin was the closest in the series since a 1-0 Butler win back on Sept. 5, 2007 at Coffeyville... Prior to Friday's contest, Butler had won by at least three goals in the last nine matches against the Red Ravens.
