Conway, Ark. - An own goal by Central Arkansas with 1:33 to play propelled Sam Houston State to a 3-2 women's soccer victory in the Bearkats' first Southland Conference match of the 2010 season Friday afternoon at Sugar Bear Field.
With the contest less than two minutes from overtime, a long shot by Emily Edenstrom was saved by UCA goalkeeper Kelsey Gochnauer. But the goalie couldn't hold onto the ball and, in an effort to clear the loose ball, one of the Central Arkansas defenders put the ball into the goal mouth.
The victory extended Sam Houston's winning streak to three and upped the Bearkats' season mark to 5-6-1.
Kirby Zak gave the Kats the lead in the opening minutes, scoring her second goal of the season with a header of a corner kick from Paige Rodriguez. The score came 2:41 into the contest.
The Bearkats, who out-shot the Bears 18-11 and forced UCA goalkeeper Kelsey Gochnauer to make eight saves, continued to keep up the offensive pressure.
Kelsi Brown added a second Sam Houston goal on a breakaway with 2:34 left in the first half to put the Kats up 2-0 at intermission.
Brittany Kemper tied the match with a pair of goals in a three-and-a-half minute span. First Kemper pounded a rebound off a shot that hit the post into the back of the Bearkat net in the 71st minute. Next she took a cross from Alex Bennett and scored from 18 yards out to tie the contest.
"Obviously, we got off to a good start, but we got a little sloppy at the end and let them tie the match," Sam Houston head coach Tom Brown said. "That's the kind of mistake a young team makes. We're just glad we were able to learn from the mistake with a win rather than a loss. Any win on the road in the Southland Conference is a good win."
Central Arkansas drops to 4-5-1 for the year. The contest also was the Bears' first conference match of the year.
Sam Houston's road trip continues Sunday at 1 p.m. when the Bearkats challenge Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La.
