COMMERCE – The East Texas A&M University soccer team dropped a heartbreaker in penalty kicks to Houston Christian in the first round of the Southland Conference Soccer Championship on Tuesday night at the Lion Soccer Field. The final score after 110 minutes was a 1-1 draw between the two teams.
The teams were scoreless over the second half and both overtime segments, with the Lions recording 11 shots and two shots on goal while HCU finished with 17 shots and four on frame.
The seventh-seeded Lions converted four consecutive shootout attempts after an opening miss, as
Isabella Queneau (Lucas),
Judith Nandwa (Mumias, Kenya),
Liberty Plasek (Flower Mound) and
Yiselle Bernal (Dallas – Hillcrest) scored from the spot.
The second-seeded Huskies had four makes in its first four attempts before
Emmy Finlinson (Eagle Mountain, Utah) saved the Huskies' fifth attempt, extending the shootout into a sixth round. The Lions missed their attempt, and Lina Backhaus converted the next attempt for the Huskies after the match finished 1-1 through 110 minutes.
The Lions end their season with an overall record of 4-7-8 and went 3-3-4 in conference play. The Huskies have advanced past the Lions in the postseason three times in the last four years and hold an overall record of 9-3-8. HCU faces Northwestern State in the semifinals on Thursday in Commerce.
Kristen Sueltz (The Colony) headed in a corner kick from
Addisen Ramirez (Waxahachie) corner from the left post at 4:07, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead. Nandwa added two shots, including one saved by Emmy McKeon, as the Lions recorded five shots and two corner kicks in the first half. The Huskies put four shots off target, and the Lions carried the 1-0 advantage into halftime.
The Lions' 1-0 lead was erased at 67:57, when Isabella Alamo scored with assists from Isabella Dillow and Madison Stormberg to tie the match at 1-1. Earlier, the Lions had withstood a HCU push that included a corner and four shots from 49:32 to 60:52, with Finlinson saving Alamo's attempt at 53:44. Nandwa and
Lena Junior (Frisco – Liberty) recorded the Lions' shots after the equalizer, and Finlinson made another save at 90:00 as the second half ended tied 1-1.
Finlinson handled the only shot on goal of the first overtime, saving the Huskies' attempt at 93:36. The Lions were called offside at 94:30 and did not record a shot in the segment, which ended without a goal.
The Lions pressed through the second overtime, taking four shots during a 1-1 stretch from 101:25 to 108:44 but not finding the net. Sueltz hit the top woodwork to start the push, and Queneau, Bernal and
Lornah Wasike (Nairobi, Kenya) each followed with attempts before the segment ended scoreless and the match remained tied 1-1.
POST MATCH INTERVIEW
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