Late goal lifts Learmond to first win as women's soccer coach

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. - Straining to talk through a raspy voice following his first win as a college head coach, Carnell Learmond was happy to sacrifice his vocal chords for the moment.

"I think overall, it's worth it," Learmond said of he struggles to speak. "I was happy to be yelling, showing my passion for the girls. This is a great feeling."

After taking a great pass from Leticia Modesto, Cleo Paris scored the go-ahead goal with 5:36 remaining, lifting the Bulldogs to a 2-1 win over Appalachian Athletic Conference opponent Milligan (Tenn.) on Wednesday night.

It was the first victory at Union for Learmond, who took over a Bulldog program that won just one game a season ago.

It looked like the celebration might be delayed late in the second half, when a Kelsey Miller goal helped the Buffs pull even at one. But Paris, who assisted on a Dara Miguel goal that put Union ahead 1-0 in the first half, produced a moment of euphoria when she blasted an open shot passed the outstretched arm of Buffs' goalie Lauren Davies.

From there, a vastly improved Union defense closed things out, keeping the Milligan offense from truly threatening the rest of the way. Maria Riberio had six saves and the Bulldogs surrendered just one goal for the second straight game after allowing 15 in the first two.

How to explain such a major turnaround? Learmond credits much of it to a story shared with him by a friend in the coaching ranks that he says has resonated with his players.

"It's about animals getting an invite to go to this race," he said. "And the turtles are told they cannot finish the race because they're slow. So this one turtle finished the race and everyone was wondering how he did it. And the turtle told everyone he's deaf.

"He got an invite to compete and he prepared. He wasn't able to hear the critics, he wasn't able to hear all the negative things. People are going to talk, people are going to doubt us. But if we're tying to build something good and compete, we have to be able to be deaf to all the negatives."

Though relieved to secure his first win, Learmond says its a direct result of long-term goals he's been trying to instill since taking the job.

"I'm not so big on focusing on winning games right now," he said. "We want to create a good culture and the wins will come. That's what happened tonight. The hard work the girls put in on the practice field, the culture they've created for themselves and the future is what we saw today. It's just a testament to what we've been working on."

The Bulldogs (1-3, 1-1), have a stiff challenge ahead, as they travel to face 24th-ranked Reinhardt (Ga.) at 4 p.m. Saturday.