Box Score CONWAY, Ark. – Sam Houston State soccer goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton made a diving stop to her left, earning the Bearkats a 4-3 victory in penalty kicks against Central Arkansas in the opening round of the Southland Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon.
After a scoreless regulation and two 10-minute overtimes, Sam Houston captured its first penalty-kick victory, doing so in its third-ever chance (2011 Texas State, 2014 Houston Baptist).
“I was in a fortunate situation knowing that if I saved it, we won and if not, we would go to another round of shooters,” Hambleton said. “Having that calm feeling helped with my teammates putting me ahead. It was happy I was able to relax and make the save.”
Trailing in penalties early, Mariah Titus, Meredith Carlson, Katie Bunch and Allie Johnson put four straight into the back of the net to push No. 3-seeded Sam Houston into semifinal play against No. 2 Houston Baptist on Friday at 7 p.m.
“I think you get to that point and it's a bit of a lottery,” eighth-year head coach Tom Brown said. “Kylie made some big saves to keep us in. We created a lot of chances this evening but just couldn't put one in. I was just hoping we weren't going to pay for that lack of ability in finishing during the penalty kick.”
Sam Houston (9-6-4) flexed its muscle defensively, allowing just three shots on goal, while the offense created numerous opportunities, notching 26 shots, the squad's second-highest of the season. Shelby McDaniel led the bombardment, finishing with four including three on goal.
“I thought we did a great job keeping the ball and keeping it moving,” Brown said. “I think Shelby and Mariah really tore some things up today. They created great opportunities. We just have to make sure we finish those tomorrow and not let Houston Baptist get those chances.”
Sam Houston's best opportunity came in the 16th minute when Madison Cannon fought off a defender down the right side, darting a ball in to Ashley Alonzo at 20 feet out, who took two steps and fired one at UCA keeper Lauren Mercuri, who lunged to her left for the save.
The Bearkat defense, a unit that built a name for itself, allowing less than one goal per game in the regular season, was big in the opening 45. Despite four Central Arkansas corners, the Bears managed just one shot on goal.
In the 47th minute, Alonzo fought off a defender, drove the ball down the middle, but the shot sailed wide. Three minutes later, Sam Houston was stumped on a pair of opportunities including a blocked shot by Johnson and subsequent save on a Cannon rifle in.
In the 78th minute, the Bears had a one-on-one opportunity with Camille Bassett driving on the right side but Hambleton came out of the goal to square the attacker up, making a key deflection to force a corner and stave off another UCA opportunity.
Sam Houston also turned up the notch in the second half offensively as the squad finished regulation with 20 shots including eight on goal, marked by a period of 12 straight shots without allowing a Bears' shot between the 47th and 69th minute.
In the first 10-minute overtime, the physicality picked up, with Sam Houston again controlling a majority of the possessions, but its two shots were for naught, including an Alonzo rifle low and wide as time expired. Central Arkansas did not have a shot in the frame. Meanwhile, in the second overtime, Sam Houston managed four shots to UCA's one but the match headed for penalty kicks.
The shutout was the fifth of the season for Hambleton, as the decorated senior continues to add to her strong performances. Her trio of saves pushed her to 82 for the season.
“She's a great goalkeeper and has been playing great the last month or so,” Brown said. “I think she proved well tonight, getting the shutout and keeping them off the board when they were attacking. She came up with two big saves in wide areas in the penalty kick shutout.”
