Photo by Roxie Gonzalez
The Lady Eagles soccer team ended the season with its second win of the year on Monday against the University of Texas Permian-Basin, after recording its 14th loss on Saturday against Lubbock Christian University.
According to freshman Sydni Wiles, the team was prepared for the final weekend of the season.
“Our approach is to play our hearts out for our seniors and to remember that we have absolutely nothing to lose,” Wiles said before Saturday’s game. “We are a strong team and we have so much talent, we just have to work together to get the job done.”
Despite a record of two wins, fourteen losses and two ties, Wiles said the losing season transformed the Lady Eagles into something more than a team.
“I think what has changed for the team is that we become a family, and we would give 110 percent for the girl standing next to us,” Wiles said. “We wouldn’t let the negative things bring us down and we never let anything come between the bonds we made. “
Oklahoma Christian University fell to the Lady Chaparrals 3-0 despite goalkeeper Lindsey Williams’ sixth double-digit performance of the season.
Williams, who ranks eighth in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II in saves, made 11 stops against Lubbock Christian on Saturday, but the Lady Chaparrals still left Eagle Soccer Field with a win over Oklahoma Christian.
“Lindsey had a huge game for us, as she has been doing all season,” Women’s Soccer Head Coach Randall Robison said. “We always know we can count on her to have a big game, we just struggled to put the ball in the goal today.”
Lubbock Christian outshot Oklahoma Christian 28-5, but the Lady Eagles managed to give themselves a few good scoring chances, Robison said.
The score remained 0-0 until the 27th minute, when Lubbock Christian’s Ashley Ledford found Claudia Sanchez, who beat Williams from about six yards out for the first goal of the game.
The Lady Chaparrals made it 2-0 in the 61st minute with Sanchez assisting on a shot from 10 yards by Brooke Wendl for the goal. Wendl leads the conference in goals with 14.
Lubbock Christian later made it 3-0 in the 83rd minute. The Lady Chaparrals placed a corner kick that bounced the ball around the penalty area a few times before finding Ashley Ledford, who scored to seal the win.
The Lady Eagles’ soccer team ended its season with a 1-0 win against the University of Texas Permian-Basin, its first of the season.
According to sophomore Amanda Cooper, the team channeled the frustrations of the entire season on the last game of the season.
“Going into this game we were looking to end the season on a high note as well as morally just knowing we went out on the field and gave everything we had for our teammates and our seniors,” Cooper said.
Two seniors, Alexis Farrell and Estefania Bermudes Delgado ended their collegiate careers with an overtime win as Farrell connected with Delgado for the game-winning goal in the 108th minute.
Robinson said he was proud of the women for ending the season with pride and perseverance.
“The girls worked hard all season long and they kept just plugging away and kept working hard,” Robison said. “We felt like they had some unlucky bounces through the year, some situations where they probably should have won a game, but either we didn’t do some little things or had some things go the opposite direction.”
Goalkeeper Lindsey Williams denied all of UTPB’s offensive attacks for the game’s entirety, including overtime, ending the game with 10 saves.
“We’ve called on Lindsey more this year than we ever should have,” Robison said. “Lindsey has been there to make the saves when we need those saves made. She’s had a tough year, but were so proud of her.”
Robison said he was happy and a little bit emotional following the final game.
“I thought the girls did really well, and specifically the seniors,” Robison said. “I’m so very proud of them. I love every one of those girls and I’m glad to see them have the good game that they had today. I was glad to see those girls go out the way that they did.”
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