Wichita Falls, TEXAS – West Texas A&M Women's Soccer (7-7-5, 6-5-3 LSC) advanced to the Semifinals of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) Tournament Tuesday afternoon after beating RV Midwestern State 4-2 in penalty kicks. This was the Lady Buffs first playoff win since 2022.
The offenses of both teams came out firing in the first 15 minutes with five shots and three corner kicks.
Franciezca Blancaflor came away with a save in the fourth minute to prevent an early Mustangs goal. WT's offense put pressure on MSU's defense with a pair of shots on goal by
Alicia Cohen and
Ryann Davis in the 10th minute. Following the offensive spurt, WT's defense made a plethora of plays in key moments to stop scoring chances by the Mustangs. West Texas A&M shutdown driving lanes and picked off passes as they held MSU to three shots the rest of the half. WT continued to press and create chances with shots on goal by
Sienna Hurrell and
Braely Martinez but could not find the back of the net. The score would be tied 0-0 going into halftime.
Out of the break, the Lady Buffs set the tone early as they held possession and created early opportunities for the first goal of the game. WT would ultimately find that goal as Hurrell gave West Texas A&M the lead in the 54th minute. As the Lady Buffs held possession in the box,
Naya Megnin initially penetrated the defense on the end line before finding
Jade Martinez who one-tapped it to Hurrell just outside the box. The Kingston Upon Thames native corralled the ball with one dribble and then blasted a left footed shot into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead. The physicality of the match would pick up as the game went on. MSU would tie the game at 1-1 in the 74th minute following a score off a corner kick. With the match tied, WT stepped up and pushed for a potential game-winner. The offense generated six shots and a corner kick, but nothing came to fruition. Defensively, the Lady Buffs stayed composed against the rowdy crowd with their noise makers to shut down MSU with no shots the rest of the way in the second half. The game would stay tied 1-1 after 90 minutes as overtime commenced.
The first overtime saw the defensive battle continue with only one shot coming in the 10 minutes. Cohen would miss high in the 98th minute as another 10 minutes for the second overtime was put on the clock. WT had their backs against the wall early as they faced two shots and a corner kick by the Mustangs in the first five minutes but stood tall and continued their excellent defensive play to prevent any goals. WT did not register any shots in the second overtime but fought through to force penalty kicks as the game remained tied 1-1 after 110 minutes.
As the big deciding moment of PK's arose in the win or go home game, the Lady Buffs were not afraid of the moment. They were the moment. Hurrell was the first shooter for WT and put an early point on the board with a make to the left post. MSU missed high on their first shot as West Texas A&M had the early advantage.
Sara Soto was next up who hit the cross bar and had the ball bounce in for the Lady Buff's second make. Midwestern State made their next shot, but
Riley Sims delivered right back with a make in the top right corner past the keeper's outstretched hands. MSU went back-to-back with another make as the WT had the 3-2 advantage with
Charo Rodriguez Fortea shooting next. She followed suit to the rest of the Lady Buffs with a make that froze the keeper for the 4-2 lead. Desperately needing to score to keep the PK's rolling, the Mustangs again missed high as West Texas A&M advanced to the Semifinals of the LSC Tournament off penalty kicks in their first playoff win since 2022.
Top Lady Buffs
- Sienna Hurrell played 105 minutes and landed both of her shots on goal with one scoring. She also converted a PK in the shootout. This was her third goal of the season and third game with multiple shots on goal.
- Charo Rodriguez Fortea tallied three shots with two landing on goal in her 106 minutes while making a PK.
- Franciezca Blancaflor started in goal and made one save in 110 minutes.
Buffalo Bits
- West Texas A&M is now 27-26-3 all-time against Midwestern State.
- The Lady Buffs led the game in shots (14-9), shots on goal (7-2), and PK makes (4-2).
- This was WT's first playoff win since they beat St. Edward's 2-1 in 2022.
- Jade Martinez and Naya Megnin both added an assist. This was the first assist for both this season while it was Martinez's third point and Megnin's first WT point.
- Riley Sims, Samantha Solorzano, Rozlyn Rumsey, and Ryann Davis all played the entire game at 110 minutes. Solorzano and Davis added one shot with Davis landing hers on goal. Sims also converted her PK. This was Sims' second time playing a full game, Solorzano's fifth, Rumsey's eighth, and Davis' 15th.
- Sara Soto logged 102 minutes and fired one shot while making her PK.
- Alicia Cohen fired three shots with one landing on goal in her 69 minutes. This was her second multi-shot game this season.
- Braely Martinez landed her lone shot on goal in her 56 minutes.
- Michelle Velasco totaled two shots in 60 minutes. This was her second multi-shot game of the season.
Up Next
West Texas A&M is off to the Semifinals of the LSC Tournament where they will take on the eight seed in UT Dallas who beat Texas Woman's in PK's. That game is set for Thursday, November 5 with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
For all the latest on West Texas A&M Women's Soccer, stay tuned to
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