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Life > Athletics > Soccer > 8/24/07
PIONEERS COME UP JUST SHORT AGAINST SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
 DENTON, Texas (August 24) – A two-goal outburst late in the first half helped the Southwest Baptist University Lady Bearcat’s defeat the Texas Woman’s University Pioneers 2-1 in women’s soccer action on Friday afternoon in Denton.
The contest, the season-opener for both TWU and SBU, was the inaugural game on the TWU Soccer Field. 521 spectators turned out to see the Pioneers in action on their new on-campus facility.
SBU used a very organized and precise style of play to control the tempo in the opening stages of the game. The Lady Bearcats generated several quality scoring chances in the first twenty minutes of play and were only kept off the scoreboard thanks to the efforts of TWU junior goaltender Aly Vincent. Vincent’s made an outstanding save in the game’s 19th minute when she roamed out of her goal to the left to stop a quick shot from a difficult angle off the foot of SBU freshman forward Dominie Emmanuel.
The Bearcats finally got a ball past Vincent in the 24th minute of the first half when freshman defender Charlotte Robertson lofted a free kick from 25 yards out that found its way into the TWU net. Just fifteen minutes later, at the 39:13 mark of the first half, SBU struck again. Senior midfielder Christina Swartz gathered in a pass on the left side of the TWU goal box. Swartz waited until the TWU defenders committed to her before slipping a centering pass onto the foot of junior midfielder Krysten Bartshe. With the Pioneer players out of position, Bartshe was able to volley the ball past Vincent and give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
TWU head coach Fleur Benatar said her team’s tentative play helped SBU gain the first half advantage.
“It took us longer than I expected to get comfortable out there today. Perhaps we were a little bit nervous being on the new field with a big crowd there. Whatever the reason, we just really looked out-of-sorts in the first half and they (SBU) were able to take advantage of that,” said Benatar.
Despite having a two-goal lead, SBU stayed aggressive to start the second half. Vincent, however, continued to make save after save (she totaled 12 in the game) to keep TWU within striking distance. The Pioneers, now playing much more relaxed, were able to string a few passes together and create several offensive flurries of their own. TWU’s continued attack paid off in the game’s 75th minute when the Pioneers were awarded a free kick. Senior defender Sue Cribbes took advantage of the opportunity for TWU as she drilled the ball from 35 yards out into the upper left hand corner of the Bearcats net.
The goal by Cribbes, the seventh of her career, boosted the Pioneers confidence. Now trailing by just one-goal, 2-1, TWU pushed hard for the tying marker. A pair of freshman, Raven Morales and Taylor Bullock, made a handful of nice runs into the SBU goal box but were unable to score the equalizer for the Pioneers. The Lady Bearcats then tightened their defense in the games final minutes and walked off the field with a hard-fought win.
“I’m proud of my players,” said Benatar after the game. “We really came together in the second half and did some nice things. The freshman that played for us did exceptionally well, considering that this was their first collegiate game. I’m looking forward to seeing this team improve as the season moves on.”
TWU will be back in action this Sunday, August 26, when they travel to Wichita Falls, Texas to meet the University of Central Missouri in a neutral site game.
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