Box Score CONWAY, Ark. – It seemed only fitting Sam Houston State soccer and Southeastern Louisiana needed penalty kicks to decide the Southland Conference Tournament championship on Sunday afternoon in a match of the league's top two defensive teams.
The No. 3 seed Bearkats (10-6-5), who downed Central Arkansas in penalty kicks in the tournament opener, could not replicate the same success, falling 3-1 to the No. 4 seed Lady Lions (13-4-4) in PK's after a scoreless regulation and two 10-minute overtimes.
“I thought we were resilient in both our games here at the conference tournament and even today where I thought we made mistakes and could have punished them,” eighth-year head coach Tom Brown said. “For another 110 minutes to keep a clean sheet, there are a lot more positives than negatives.”
Sam Houston's 10 wins set a new season program record while the trip to the league title match was only the second in team history with the last coming 10 years ago in Natchitoches, La. For their efforts, goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton, forward Allie Johnson and midfielder Mariah Titus were named to the all-tournament team.
“Kylie's been tremendous in this program and really turned it on here over the last couple weeks,” Brown said. “To be able to keep three full games plus four overtime periods and now allow a goal sets a high standard.
“Allie Johnson had a terrific game against Houston Baptist and created opportunities in the other games. Mariah has probably been our best consistent player this year and was probably running on empty but just kept battling balls and winning.”
Micaela Birt tied the penalty kicks at 1-1, firing a ball to the upper left part of the net for the equalizer; however, Southeastern Louisiana was able to hit three straight and tournament most valuable player Hobe Sabadash made the clinching save on a lunge to her right.
With both teams fatigued from playing three full matches, Southeastern Louisiana logged 15 shots, including nine on goal to the Bearkats' 16 and eight on goal. The Lady Lions managed just three shots in extra time while Sam Houston took four.
Sam Houston's best opportunity of the opening half came in the 10th minute from Madison Cannon, who fired one in from the right flank, but the ball was deflected by Sabadash and a defender managed to clear it out.
In the 64th minute, with Bearkats' Johnson on the attack, Sabadash raced out of the box and was carded for a hard tackle. On the ensuing play, however, with Johnson taking the kick from the top right outside of the box, Sam Houston was called offsides.
Sam Houston cut the Lady Lions' shots on goal in half during the second half while the Bearkats matched their first half total with both teams finishing regulation at six a piece. Hambleton needed just two saves in the second half and the Lady Lions were held without a corner, compared to four in the first 45.
With the win, the Lady Lions receive the league's automatic berth into the Women's College Cup, taking place Nov. 15-17. The Bearkat senior class closed out their decorated careers with 35 wins and helped Sam Houston reach at least the semifinals the past three seasons.
“This senior class has done a tremendous job moving this team forward,” Brown said. “They contributed greatly to the success of the program to get to this point. That's the challenge for all the players returning to be able to build on what the seniors left them and make this senior class proud of them.”
