RUSTON, La. — Sam Houston came out and punched Florida International in the mouth then held on for a 3-2 victory in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament hosted by Louisiana Tech on Wednesday.
Kennedy Baquero wasted no time getting the Bearkats (6-6-4) on the scoreboard when she played a corner kick and popped it into the top left of the net past the outstretched goalkeeper just seven minutes into the game.
A blink would have missed Sam Houston's next goal.
Less than a minute later,
Landri Townsend took the ball and beat a Panther defender. She was able to pass the ball to
Pam Murray who in turn matched Barquero with her team-high fifth goal of the season to make it 2-0.
The Kats struck again in the 12th minute when Townsend outplayed FIU and soared a goal over the keeper's head to put Sam Houston up 3-0.
The Panthers, who beat the Kats 3-0 in their regular season meeting in Huntsville, closed the gap with two goals before halftime.
That would be all FIU would get as Sam Houston's defense was superb and the offense kept the ball down field for a scoreless second half. Kat keeper
Libby Harper had five saves in each half.
No. 5 Sam Houston will now face top-seeded New Mexico State in the semifinals on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
