Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 24, 2016) – One bad break suddenly ended what was one of Oklahoma Christian's best performances of the season.
After a disputed foul call in the second overtime went against the Lady Eagles, St. Mary's (Texas) took advantage with a quick restart that led to a golden goal by Heather Dawson in the 107th minute, giving the Rattlers a 1-0 win over OC on a humid Saturday afternoon at the Eagle Soccer Field.
It was a beyond-frustrating finish for OC (2-6, 1-4 Heartland Conference), which had two great chances to win in regulation denied by the crossbar and looked well on its way to earning at least a draw against unbeaten St. Mary's (5-0-2, 3-0-2).
"I am very proud of our team today," OC coach
Randall Robison said. "Our backs played well, our midfielders played well, our front runners played well. The heart and intensity shown by our team today was outstanding. Our work rate was high throughout the match. It was unfair to our players for the game to end the way it did."
For most of the game, the team that had a significant south wind at its backs controlled the action. With the wind in the first half, St. Mary's posted an 11-2 shot advantage. OC answered with an 8-7 advantage in the second half. The eventual shot tally was 23-12 in the Rattlers' favor.
OC goalkeeper
Carina Schanz made six saves, including two of the outstanding variety – a kick save on a point-blank shot by Roxy Cruz-Santory in the 47th minute and another stop on a close-in shot by Alexia Maldonado in the 70th.
Meanwhile, OC sophomore midfielder
Rubi Villegas Aguilar nearly put OC ahead with a rocket shot in the 61st minute, but St. Mary's goalkeeper Erin Longford just got her fingertips on the ball to deflect it off the crossbar. In the 85th minute, Villegas Aguilar drove deep down the right side and cut into the penalty box, but her shot from about 10 yards out, at a difficult angle, also hit off the crossbar.
OC entered extra time with momentum, but St. Mary's limited the Lady Eagles to only two shots, and none after the first four minutes.
OC coaches wanted a foul called when they thought a St. Mary's player grabbed the jersey of an OC player, but the foul was awarded the other way. The Rattlers sent the ball into the middle of the field, where Rachel Gurinsky passed it to Dawson. Dawson's right-to-left shot from about 10 yards eluded Schanz.
Longford, who relieved injured starter Caitlin McCarrell in goal at halftime for St. Mary's, finished with five saves. McCarrell had one save.
The Lady Eagles will be back in action on Tuesday, when then will host Northwestern Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. in their final nonconference game of the season.
