San Antonio, Texas – West Texas A&M Women's Soccer (2-5-3, 1-3-2 LSC) captured their first Lone Star Conference win of the season after battling back to beat St. Mary's 4-3. Overcoming an early multi-goal deficit,
Samantha Solorzano scored with 10 seconds remaining as WT produced a resilient win.
Through the early stages of the game, West Texas A&M would have a hold on possession which translated to three shots with one landing on goal in the first five minutes of the match. Despite the possession, St. Mary's would play with pace to quickly set up action as they scored in the 8th and 10th minute to hold an early 2-0 advantage. WT stayed composed and quickly responded to get on the scoreboard. In the 12th minute,
Bailee Ramirez would pass a ball near the front of the box and into harms way as it ricocheted inside the box.
Mollie Ferro would chase down the ball as she collapsed the defense and forced the keeper to come up and contest. The ball would ultimately leak out to the right side which
Riley Sims raced towards and scored with a right footed shot as she capitalized on the open net. The goal by Sims would rejuvenate the Lady Buffs as they got back to controlling possession and putting the Rattlers on their heels. In the 29th minute in their attacking zone,
Sara Soto would break down the defense and dish a cross pass to
Braely Martinez right in front of the net. Martinez fired a sliding shot off her right foot into the bottom right corner to tie the game 2-2. In the 36th minute,
Franciezca Blancaflor made a crucial save on a counter attack attempt by STMU to ensure the game stayed knotted at 2-2. That score would hold going into halftime.
St. Mary's set the ton to start the second half as they scored 23 seconds in to retake the lead. WT was again composed with the deficit and continued to fight and hold strong defensively. In the 61st minute, the Lady Buffs would be awarded a free kick off a foul just outside the penalty box.
Sienna Hurrell would take the kick and blast a shot off her left foot in the top left corner of the net as WT again battled back to tie the game. Now with momentum and energy on their side, West Texas A&M continued to press and create chances as they eyed a game-winning goal. While the offense applied continuous pressure, the defense stepped up and held St. Mary's to only one shot in the final 29 minutes which allowed for sustained attacks and opportunities. In the 81st minute, Sims would turn past her defender inside the box and as the Harker Heights native got past her defender, she would be fouled. After review, a penalty kick would be awarded to WT as this looked to be the deciding moment in the match. Hurrell would step up to take the kick which would miss right, but the Lady Buffs did not drop their heads and instead kept working with nine minutes left to get the golden goal. With 1:15 left in the game, the Rattlers would misplay a ball which resulted in a corner kick for WT.
Bailey Malone took the corner and delivered a ball to the far post. Sims made first contact with the ball on a header, but it would knock off a defender as the Lady Buffs had another corner kick. WT hustled and got into position as this looked to be their last chance to win the game. Hurrell took the kick with 20 seconds left and put it right in front of the net. Off a pinball scrum, the ball would be tapped out by the keeper and headed twice out of the box. With all of St. Mary's defenders inside the box,
Samantha Solorzano burst to the ball uncontested coming from the midfield and had a clean look at a shot. In stride with her left foot, Solorzano perfectly placed the ball just outside the fingertips of the goalkeeper diving to her left and just inside pipe as she cashed the game-winner with 10 seconds remaining. WT finished the job defensively in the final seconds as they completed a comeback victory against St. Mary's for their first conference win of the season.
Top Lady Buffs
- Samantha Solorzano scored her first goal as a Lady Buff with the game-winner. She also fired two shots and played all 90 minutes. This was her second game playing in all 90 minutes.
- Sienna Hurrell found the back of the net for the second time this season in her 80 minutes of action. Hurrell also totaled three shots, the third occurrence of 3+ shots for her on the season. She is now up to five points on the season.
- Riley Sims also recorded her first goal as a Lady Buff which were also her first points. Sims played 74 minutes and notched five shots with two landing on goal. This was a season-high in shots for her.
Buffalo Bits
- West Texas A&M is now 12-4-4 all-time against St. Mary's and snapped their three-game losing streak.
- The Lady Buffs led the game in shots (18-12), shots on goal (8-7), and corner kicks (4-1).
- This is the first time in program history with game-by-game record (2011 and beyond) where WT has trailed by 2+ goals and came back to win the game.
- Braely Martinez scored her third goal of the season on her lone shot in 51 minutes. Martinez is up to six points.
- Sara Soto recorded her first career point as a Lady Buff with an assist. She also compiled three shots with one on goal in 82 minutes. This was her third game with 3+ shots this season.
- Ryann Davis and Mollie Ferro each played the entirety of the game with 90 minutes. This was Davis' eighth time going the distance while it was Ferro's third.
- Franciezca Blancaflor started in goal and made four saves in all 90 minutes. This was her eighth game with 4+ saves this season.
- Jade Martinez and Rozlyn Rumsey each landed one shot on goal. Martinez played 59 minutes while Rumsey logged 74.
- Avery Putnam and Bailee Ramirez each fired one shot.
- Charo Rodriguez Fortea played 89 minutes in the field.
Up Next
West Texas A&M will be back in action on Saturday, October 3 as they take on Angelo State at The Pitch. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
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