Box Score (html)
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – It took the SWOSU Soccer team overtime to beat Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday afternoon, but the Bulldogs pulled out the victory beating the Lady Bison 3-2 in extra time. After a Harding loss to East Central, SWOSU is now back atop the Great American Conference standings, tied with Ouachita at 5-1 in conference play.
Both teams defended well in the first half and it was the Bulldogs who netted the only ball of the period early in the match. In the ninth minute,
Alimata Rabo was fouled in the box by a Lady Bison defender putting
Sandra Nabweteme on the line to shoot the penalty attempt. Nabweteme scored her third penalty kick of the season, putting SWOSU up 1-0 early on. Both teams fought to score for the remainder of the half, but neither team could get anything going. In the half, each team took seven shots a piece, with the one goal difference in favor of SWOSU.
In the second half, it was Oklahoma Baptist who struck first courtesy of a corner kick by Jennifer Goethe. Bulldog goalkeeper
Courtney Flores mishandled the attempt, letting it bounce through her hands and into the goal for the equalizer. Thirteen minutes later, SWOSU answered the goal with another one of their own. Similar to the first half, Rabo was fouled in the box allowing Nabweteme to head to the line to take the ensuing penalty shot. The freshman netted it top shelf to jump ahead of the Lady Bison 2-1 in the 68th minute. The shot made Nabweteme a perfect 4-4 this season in penalty kicks. OKBU didn't go away, pushing the tempo and putting pressure on the Bulldog defense for the remainder of the match. It was in the 81st minute that the Lady Bison answered once again, this time by their leading scorer Ruth King after she kicked a close-quartered shot past Flores to tie the game back up at 2-2 headed to overtime.
Two minutes into overtime, Rabo forced a foul just outside of the box allowing Nabweteme a free kick. Nabweteme elected to shoot the free kick, aiming high over OKBU goalkeeper Emma Beck's hands. Beck was able to jump and deflect the shot, but
Shelley Mueller was there for the rebound and game-winning put back for just her second and most important goal of the season.
With Nabweteme's two goals in the match, she now was 16 on the season surpassing Rabo's NCAA Division II leading 15 goals so far in 2016. The duo now ranks one and two in the nation in that statistic with their impressive 31 combined goals. SWOSU has yet to lose in an overtime match this season, tying Central Oklahoma 2-2 in two overtimes back on Sept. 11 and now beating Oklahoma Baptist 3-2 in just one overtime on Saturday.
"I really think we had some kids step up for us today," said Head Coach
Mark Persson. "Our strikers were obviously influential, but in the midfield I really felt like we had some players step up and play hard for us throughout the game. We didn't want to go to overtime, we gave up a bad goal early in the match to let them back into the game, and then allowed that second-tying goal later on. Oklahoma Baptist really competed hard the whole game, so it really was a battle all day."
With the thrilling victory, SWOSU improves to 8-2-1 overall and 5-1 in the GAC. The win wraps up the first half of conference play, and the Bulldogs will face rival Northwestern Oklahoma State at home on Tuesday (Oct. 11) for the second time this season.
