(Story courtesy of Texas Lutheran University)
SEGUIN, Texas – With darkness
setting in around Gustafson Field, the No. 3 seeded Texas Lutheran
women's soccer team saw its season come to an end in penalty kicks,
taking a 0-0 draw though two overtimes before falling 5-4 in
penalties against No. 2 seeded Southwestern on Friday in a
semifinal match of the SCAC Women's Soccer Championship.
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The only difference in the penalty kicks was a save made by
Pirate keeper Mariah Escajeda on an attempt by Kystel
Wolfe. Both teams connected on their first two
attempts before Wolfe was stopped by Escajeda. The Pirates
converted their next three attempts to clinch victory and move into
the finals on Sunday.
The game was tense though out and, despite the scoreless
result, featured several good scoring chances for both
teams.
The two teams combined for 41 total shots, with Southwestern
holding a sizable advantage in that category, outshooting the
Bulldogs 30-11 on the afternoon. The Pirates got seven of those
shots on goal while the Bulldogs took three.
The first half of action did not feature many great scoring
chances, but things picked up in the second 45 minutes of
play.
Bulldog goalkeeper Devin Crump, a junior,
came off the bench to start the second half after Erin
Rose played the first half. The decision paid off
for head coach Larry Schaffer after Crump made a
number of huge saves to keep the game scoreless.
The first big save came early in the second half on a shot
from Lindsey Jakszta. The second save came later on a Southwestern
corner kick. Crump made the reaction save after the ball had been
headed towards the goal just yards away.
Crump made three saves in her 45 minutes of action. Rose
reentered the game at the start of overtime. The freshman keeper
also played well, making four saves total to keep the Pirates at
bay.
Offensively, the Bulldogs' best chance came in the first
overtime when Sioned Kirkpatrick found herself
dribbling free towards the net. She side-stepped a defender before
taking a shot from 15 yards away that just missed the bottom-right
corner.
Kirkpatrick, a sophomore, led the team with three total
shots.
That scoring chance came despite the fact that Texas
Lutheran played the final 44 minutes down a player after Kelly
Lochte received a red card in the 67th
minute.
Friday's penalty kicks makred the first time since 1991 that
an SCAC Women's Soccer Championship game has gone to penalty kicks.
Trinity defeated Sewanee 0-0 (2-1 PK) that year.
The Bulldogs end the season at 10-8-2 overall while Southwestern
improves to 10-8-1 on the year. The Pirates advance to the SCAC
Championship to face No. 1 seeded Trinity on Sunday at 1 p.m.
