DENTON, Texas (Nov. 6, 2023) - The journey for the Texas Woman's soccer team in the Lone Star Conference tournament comes to an end after falling short to Midwestern State in a 2-1 loss.
After finishing fourth in the LSC standings, the Pioneers (11-3-4, 6-2-3) were scheduled to play MSU (10-4-5, 6-3-3), who finished fifth.
"This game was a tale of two halves," Head Coach Babak Abouzar said. "We came out in the first 45 minutes and struggled to connect, and Midwestern made us pay for it. I'm proud of how our team bounced back in the second half and got the goal back. I felt like after we tied the game up with Erica Brelove's goal there was a momentum swing that went in our favor. Their goalkeeper made some really nice saves. Even in the OT periods, we created some good opportunities. I feel we were very unfortunate to give up the corner and the goal in the last 10 seconds of the game. With that being said I'm incredibly proud of our team and the players that stepped up today. We have a lot to be pleased with."
TWU, who came into the game only recording two losses during the regular season matches, faced MSU back on Sept. 20 for their first LSC match of the 2023-24 season. In that game, the Mustangs defeated the Pioneers 1-0 with a goal from Lexi Beck.
During the first 45 minutes of yesterday's match, the Pioneers had a difficult time maintaining the possession of the ball. MSU came out strong and was able to capitalize on their opportunities early in the game. They took the lead in the 11th minute with a goal that came from a corner kick.
The Mustangs recorded four shots before scoring that goal, meanwhile, Celeste Beltran had the first shot for the Pioneers in the tenth minute.
SMU was very dangerous with all of their corner kicks opportunities. Both goals came from a clearly rehearsed plays between the Mustangs Allessandra Romano and Lexi Beck.
After a complicated first half for the Pioneers, they came off with a different intensity and energy for the second half of the match. They were able to create more opportunities and dominated the possession of the ball.
In the 69th minute, Brelove received the ball from Beltran close to the half line. She drove the ball down the right side of the field all the way to the right corner leaving a couple of Mustangs' defenders behind.
Brelove sent a crossed ball, almost like a centered corner kick, that ended on the inside of the left goal post. The shot was impossible for Alisson Dellis, MSU goalkeeper, to get a hand on it.
Brelove's goal gave the Pioneers a lot of momentum and intensity. They had a few more clear opportunities after the goal, but they could not find the back of the net.
The game ended in a 1-1 tie after the 90 minutes of regulation time.
The first ten minutes of the first overtime period was a very even half. Neither team was really able to get together and create clear opportunities during that time. However, during the whole second overtime period, the Pioneers were clearly superior.
Rayne Islas, Rachel Ryter, Dani Pruitt, Rylee Avery, Giselle Gutierrez and Beltran had great opportunities that left the fans with their hands on their heads.
The second goal for the Mustangs that sealed the deal for them came from a corner kick in the last 12 seconds before the clock went off.
This match puts an end to the 2023-24 conference play for the Pioneers who had a successful season.
- PIONEERS -
