Soccer squads sweep Newman on Monday

Photo by: Will Gentry

 

The men’s soccer team closed out their final home game of the 2013 season with a 4-3 win over the Newman University Jets, extending their record to 4-9-1, 2-5 in Heartland Conference play. The Eagles came into this game on the heels of a 3-1 loss to Rogers State University.

Oklahoma Christian University fought to an early lead in the game against Newman on senior night, leading 3-1 at halftime. The Jets then opened the second half with two unanswered goals to send the match into overtime, where sophomore Ricardo Chinchilla broke free to slot a ball into the net with 1:25 remaining, giving the Eagles the win.

“Our strongest players of the night were Cole Rinke for being put in a new position and absolutely doing a great job at it,” sophomore Brandon Little Axe said. “Also, Taylor Vandeford won every ball in the midfield and never quit, and Ricky Chinchilla for scoring that last goal in overtime.”

According to senior Tom Tippeconnic, the lowest point in the Eagles’ game against Newman was allowing the Jets to come back with three goals in the second half to send the game into overtime.

“We have to remember that just because we are up 3-1 at half, we can’t stop fighting,” Tippeconnic said. “We have to keep playing our game and keep our spirits up.”

With the 2013 season coming to a close, the Eagles are already beginning to look at their 2014 schedule and the motivation it will take to keep playing through the ups and downs of a season.

“We have tried our hardest to stay motivated through the tough times this season,” Little Axe said. “We have got to make sure that we come out and get wins. Just because we have lost a few games doesn’t mean we can stop playing. We have to keep fighting – especially for our seniors.”

The Lady Eagles shut out Newman 2-0 Monday night, with juniors Rachel Bates and Estefania Bermudez Delgado scoring a goal each, with assists by senior Addie Ryan and sophomore Alexis Farrell, respectively. Oklahoma Christian led 2-0 at halftime and the defense was able to keep the Lady Jets off of the board through the entire 90 minutes – unlike their 3-1 loss to Rogers State University last Saturday.

Despite losing five games prior to Monday night’s game against the Jets, the Lady Eagles pushed through each practice and came back to play their best during each match, according to Women’s Head Coach Randall Robison.

“This team has done a great job staying motivated,” Robison said. “They have had a good work ethic all season. Their motivation is to play for each other. They are a great bunch of girls and they enjoy being a team.”

According to Robison, at the beginning of the season his goal for the girls was to reestablish the commitment and hard work that the team must have to be successful.

“The goal at the beginning of the season was to ‘right the ship,’” Robison said. “We wanted to lay the foundation for the success that will come as our youngest players develop.”

For freshmen Amanda Cooper, Devon Palluth and Courtney Nixon, their motivation came from the hard work displayed by the veteran players, according to Cooper.

“It was really encouraging to see all of the upperclassmen come back to the first practice after a loss and their attitudes still be so uplifting and determined,” Cooper said. “It just makes you want to be a better player overall.”

According to Robison, the tough schedule has definitely made its presence known in the girls’ final record.

“They have played a very tough schedule, which it makes it tough sometimes to see the progress, but there has been a significant amount of progress,” Robison said.

According to Nixon, the team has had its shares of ups and downs, but it is the positive moments of the season that make her excited for her future years with the program.

“I mean, it was obviously a low point when I gave up a penalty kick in the box against McMurry,” Nixon said. “But the team was able to keep fighting and hold the game to a tie, which is so much better than losing.”

The win over Newman extended their record to 3-11-2, 1-5-1 in Heartland Conference play.

“It’s been a fun first season,” Palluth said. “I have learned in my first year to never give up and to work hard as a team. You can’t win without the other girls. That’s just not how the sport works.”

The Lady Eagles’ final games are this coming Saturday and Monday at Texas-Permian Basin University and Lubbock Christian University.

“Our hope for the next two games is that we continue to improve, play quality soccer and compete for 90 minutes,” Robison said. “Our team has been so very close in a number of tough games. Hopefully we can put all of the details together and earn a positive result.”