Game 1
The No. 6-seeded University of Dallas women’s soccer team upset the No. 3-seeded Texas Lutheran University (TLU) Bulldogs this past Friday, Nov. 2, at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) tournament. Regular time and overtime were not enough as both teams were tied 2-2, forcing the game to penalty kicks to decide the game. The Crusaders led in regulation time twice, but TLU answered twice with goals of their own to tie the game.
The Bulldogs outshot the Crusaders by a total of 29-15, with TLU shooting 15 on goal and Dallas landing 9 on frame. The goals for the Crusaders came in the 14th and 68th minutes, and were scored by freshman Le Lien from Katy, Texas, and senior Sydney Stirling from McLean, Va., respectively. Bekah Gonzalez from Reno, Nev. assisted the second goal by Stirling, while the first goal by Le Lien was unassisted. Dallas was led in shots by junior midfielder Elisa Duran from Pomona, Calif. with 3. The tying goals for the Bulldogs came in the 55th and 82nd minutes.
“The girls fought hard all game and truly deserved this win,” said assistant coach of Dallas, Joseph Quiray. “It was nice to have this moment after all the adversity we have gone through this season.”
With the game tied 2-2 at the end of overtime, penalty kicks loomed, but Dallas converted 4 of their 5 penalty kicks to win the shootout. The Crusaders who scored their penalty kicks were Lien, senior Mason Cosgrove from Las Cruces, Nev., freshman Maddie Rodriguez from San Antonio, Texas, and Elisa Duran who scored the game-winning shot.
Junior goalkeeper Olivia Severson from La Crosse, Wis., played the entire game in goal for the Crusaders and accrued 13 saves. She also saved two penalty kicks during the shootout to help Dallas get the win.
The last tournament game the Crusaders played in was the 2015 quarter-final against Southwestern University, where UD lost in penalty kicks 5-3. Friday’s victory marked the first win for Dallas since the 2013 SCAC tournament quarterfinal, in which the Crusaders defeated Austin College 2-1.
The crusaders advanced to the second round of the SCAC tournament after defeating TLU. In the second round, the opponents for the Crusaders were the No. 2-seeded Southwestern University Pirates. As the No. 2 seed, the Pirates had earned a first round bye and stood with a conference record of 8-3, which meant a tough matchup for Dallas.
After pulling off a huge upset against TLU, the Crusaders fell to Southwestern by a margin of 2-0. The goals came one in each half, as the Pirates found the back of the net in the 26th and 51st minutes. The Crusaders were outshot 12-4, with zero landing on goal. Four different players for the Crusaders managed to get a shot off. The four shooters were senior Sarah Gamble from Allen, Texas, Cosgrove, freshman Anisa Meza from Helotes, Texas, and freshman Monica O’Donnell from Lincoln, Neb.
“It was tough playing a fresh team after going to double OT the day before,” Quiray said. “I thought the team battled hard all game long, and I am proud of how we kept fighting.”
Severson started and played all 90 minutes in goal for Dallas, managing 3 saves to try and keep the Crusaders in the game.
This game marked the end of the season for Dallas. UD finished the year with an overall record of 3-11-4 and a conference record of 2-8-2.
Game 2
The No. 6 seeded University of Dallas women’s soccer team advanced to the second round of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) tournament this past weekend, after defeating the No. 3 seed, Texas Lutheran University (TLU), in penalty kicks. In the second round, the opponents for the Crusaders were the No. 2 seeded Southwestern University Pirates. As the No. 2 seed, the Pirates had earned a first round bye and stood with a conference record of 8-3, which meant a tough matchup for Dallas.
After pulling off a huge upset against TLU, the Crusaders fell to Southwestern by a margin of 2-0. The goals came one in each half, as the Pirates found the back of the net in the 26th and 51st minutes. The Crusaders were outshot 12-4, with zero landing on goal. Four different players for the Crusaders managed to get a shot off. The four shooters were senior Sarah Gamble from Allen, Texas, senior Mason Cosgrove from Las Cruces, N.M., freshman Anisa Meza from Helotes, Texas, and freshman Monica O’Donnell from Lincoln, Neb.
“It was tough playing a fresh team after going to double OT the day before,” commented Crusaders Assistant Coach, Joseph Quiray. “I thought the team battled hard all game long, and I am proud of how we kept fighting.”
Junior goalkeeper Olivia Severson started and played all 90 minutes in goal for Dallas, managing 3 saves to try and keep the Crusaders in the game.
This game marked the end of the season for Dallas, but not before the Crusaders won their first tournament game since 2013. UD finished the year with an overall record of 3-11-4 and a conference record of 2-8-2.
