OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 27, 2021) – For 32 minutes, Oklahoma Christian was beating No. 5 Dallas Baptist (Texas) before the Patriots rallied for a 2-1 win on a cold and windy Wednesday night at the Eagle Soccer Field.
OC (3-6-4, 3-3-4 Lone Star Conference) struck first, just 1:48 into the match. Sophomore
Carson Hazel hit the ball in the air from the half line, while at the same time, senior
Thalia Delgado ran from the left side of the field toward the Patriots' goal. The ball bounced into the hands of Dallas Baptist goalkeeper sophomore Hailey Brown. Brown and Delgado collided momentarily at the top of the 18-yard box, yet Delgado stayed on her feet, turned, and hit a driving shot into the goal.
Delgado's goal was her second of the season. She nearly scored again in the 11th minute, but her shot from long range on the right side curved just inches outside the left post.
The Eagles held the 1-0 lead over DBU (14-2, 10-1) until the 34th minute of action. Sophomore Blythe Obar caught a deflection about 20 yards out, after the Patriots attempted a corner kick that was headed out by an Eagles' defender. Obar took one touch and struck the ball just over the outstretched hands of OC sophomore goalkeeper
Gabby Goddard, tying the match.
A tie is not an unfamiliar occurrence between Dallas Baptist and Oklahoma Christian. The last time the two met at Eagle Soccer Field, on March 24, the Eagles battled to earn a 2-2 double overtime tie with the Patriots, then ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II.
The same story seemed to be brewing Wednesday until the 67th minute, when sophomore Ashley Merrill scored her 10th goal of the season off an assist from junior Michelle Gonzalez.
The Eagles played solid defense throughout the match. Sophomore
Brooklyn Fink intercepted passes and anchored the back line well. Fink and sophomore
Jordan Freidenbloom lead the back line, along with freshman
Katie McCullock and sophomore
Reagan Keiser. OC pulled the Patriots offsides six times. Goddard recorded four saves in the match. Brown made one save for Dallas Baptist, in the second half on a long free kick by Fink that was centered on the goal. The Patriots outshot OC 12-3.
OC will travel to Odessa, Texas, on Saturday to play LSC opponent Texas-Permian Basin at 1 p.m. With three games remaining in the regular season, OC is tied with Lubbock Christian (Texas) for eighth in the LSC standings with 13 points, three behind seventh-place St. Edward's (Texas) and four behind sixth-place St. Mary's (Texas). The top seven teams at the end of the regular season will qualify for the LSC postseason tournament.
