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Life > Athletics > Soccer > 11/1/07
PIONEERS LOSE TO A&M-COMMERCE ON PENALTY KICKS
Box Score
 EDMOND, Oklahoma (November 1) – The 2007 season for the Texas Woman’s University Pioneers soccer team came to an end on Thursday afternoon with a loss on penalty kicks to the Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Lone Star Conference Women’s Soccer Championship being played in Edmond, Oklahoma.
After 110 minutes of soccer, the game officially ended in a 1-1 tie. However, A&M-Commerce outscored the Pioneers 5-4 in the penalty kick shootout to move on to the next round of the six-team conference tournament.
A&M-Commerce sophomore goalkeeper Jennifer Alvarado was the difference maker in the decisive shootout. After allowing the first three TWU shooters - junior defender Theresa Sanches, senior midfielder Christine Hornisher (pictured), and senior midfielder Natalie Grant - to score, Alvarado made back-to-back diving saves on the Pioneers’ fifth and sixth shooters, senior midfielder Romy Luna and sophomore midfielder Jacqueline Horner. Then, taking matters into her own hands, Alvarado netted the game-winning penalty kick on the Lion’s sixth shootout attempt when she lifted the ball past TWU goalkeeper Aly Vincent and into the upper left hand corner of the Pioneers’ net.
“That’s a tough way to lose,” said TWU head coach Fleur Benatar of the ending. “We had a chance to win in the shootout, but, and you’ve got to give her credit, Alvarado made three big plays in a row. First she stopped Romy and Jacqueline. Then, she stepped up and put in the game-winning goal. I’m disappointed for my kids though, they did enough to win today and came up just short.”
TAMUC jumped out to an early lead in the contest when sophomore forward Meagan Lasley converted a cross from senior forward Bailey Geels into her 11th goal of the season in the fourth minute of the first half.
The Lions would maintain their one-goal advantage until the 70th minute of the game when TWU senior defender Sue Cribbes gathered in the rebound of her own shot off the goal post and netted her second goal of the season.
After two ten minute overtime periods could not produce a golden goal, the stage was set for Alvarado’s heroics in the penalty kick shootout.
Ironically enough, the last time TWU played in the Lone Star Conference soccer tournament, in November 2005, the Pioneers defeated the Lions on penalty kicks.
“That’s crazy isn’t it?” said Benatar. “This game today was almost exactly like the one in 2005. We fell behind, tied it up, and then went to penalty kicks. This afternoon, however, luck was on their side instead of ours.”
The result set the Pioneers’ final season record at 8-9-3, and 5-4-2 in LSC play. With the win, TAMUC advances to play the host team of the tourney, the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos, in a semifinal matchup at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, November 2.
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