NATCHITOCHES, LA ? Alli Dillon scored with 20 minutes to play to give Texas-San Antonio a 1-0 victory over Sam Houston State in the first round of the Southland Conference women's soccer post-season tournament Thursday night, ending the Bearkats' 2007 season.
But Sam Houston made the Roadrunners earn the victory with a stingy defense that frustrated UTSA most of the evening and an offense that created multiple scoring opportunities.
“The team played with a lot of heart tonight,” SHSU head coach Marcia Oliveira. “I hate to see the season end this way. But UTSA played well too. We had a great run at the end of the year and, with our young team, this will help lay the foundation for next season.”
Sam Houston out shot the Roadrunners 18 to eight, disrupting the UTSA offense with an offside trap that repeatedly stopped Roadrunner attacks.
But, in the 70th minute, Dillon beat the trap on a long midfield pass from Jenna Pawelek. The forward timed her run perfectly, dashing through the Bearkats' back line just after the pass wase made to take the ball about 25 yards from the goalline. Goalkeeper Jenny Pence came out to cut the angle, but Dillon right footed in the winning goal from 12 yards away.
Yoanna Garcia had two opportunites to score from the right wing in the second half, but Roadrunner goalkeeper Allison McCabe made athletic saves on both shots.
“Our team worked so hard to get here and came in with a lot of confidence.” Oliveira said. “We created a lot of opportunities to score, but couldn't seem to finish them.”
Sam Houston dominated early, firing five shots in the first 12 minutes, but all five sailed over the cross bar. The Bearkats ended the half with 11 shots but UTSA goalkeeper had to make only one save. SHSU's best chance to score in the first period came in the 31st minute as Raquel Bueno's through pass got past the goalkeeper and rolled free in front of the goal mouth. But no Bearkat attacker could reach the ball to knock in for a score and the balled rolled harmlessly past the right post.
Texas-San Antonio hardly mounted any offense in the first half, not taking a shot until the 37th minute wide Veronica Najera's right-footed blast sailed wide. Two minutes later Pence made her only save of the first half on a 18-yard shot by Najera.
Sam Houston State ends the season with a 6-11 record. UTSA advances to the semifinals with a 9-8-2 mark.
