Lady Lions Soccer fall to OLLU

Three late goals break-up close match

Belisle, Lambdin, Murders threaten 1st place Saints

WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- Despite a stubborn defense and   and  some impressive bids to score, the women’s soccer team from Southwestern Assemblies of God University fell 4-0 to Our Lady of the Lake University on Thursday afternoon.

SAGU held the Saints scoreless until the 43rd minute. Coach Mandy Fortner’s  Lady Lions battled valiantly against the first-place Saints, who won their sixth consecutive game. The score remained 1-0 until OLLU, 10-4 overall and 5-0 in the Red River Athletic Conference, clinched the match with three goals in the final 18 minutes.

Stephanie Diaz scored the only goal the Saints would need on a feed from Ashlee Thompson two minutes before halftime. Chelsea Flores’ unassisted tally in the 71st minute was the visitors’ best chance to score since their initial goal.

Megan Ochoa (OH-cho-uh) added a pair of kicks at the 81:26 and 88th minute to finish the scoring. Her first was the result of a cross from Evelyn Robledo (Rah-BLEE-doh) and the second on a pass from the right by Diaz.

SAGU highlights

Amber Belisle  (bah-LIE-yul) produced a pair of first half scoring opportunities for Team Purp  . Victoria Munoz (Granbury, Tx / Granbury HS) started a crisp run early with a pass to the team’s leading scorer, Daniela Garcia (Tucson, Az / Rio Rico HS). She sped up field, beat a defender, and sent an entry pass to Belisle.

Playing in her first game, she booted a 25-yard across field to Amy Lambdin  (Stockton, Cal / Elliot Christian) at the edge of the box. The Saints’ keeper put an end to the sequence by making a great play in the box to deny Lambdin.

The Lady Lions (2-10, 0-5 in RRAC) next chance to score first followed a long pass from Ashley Nerat  (Menomonee Falls, Wisc / Menomonee Falls HS) to Munoz, who led a charge up the left flank.

Haley Shingleton  (Pasadena, Tx / Deer Park HS) snared a Flores header in the 38th minute to preserve a 0-0 tie.

SAGU produced a near-goal late in the half on a sensational boot by junior Kendall Murders (Bolivar, Mo / Bolivar HS). She pounded an indirect kick from 25-yards out that sliced to upper right corner. The Saints GK Alyssa Mora leapt to make the save.

The Lady Lions had two more moves that could’ve resulted in scores. Garcia worked for inside position and took a pass at the 10-yard mark but was taken off the ball by the Halos. Lambdin picked up a loose ball near the penalty spot but her shot was deflected wide of the post.

Soccer statistics

OLLU outshot Southwestern by a 17-6 count. Senior captain Jessica Powell (Terrell, Tx / Terrell HS) and Belisle accounted for two shots apiece. Shingleton made ten saves. SAGU attempted five of the eight cornerkicks.

SAGU hosts UTB on Saturday at 11am

The Lady Lions return to the pitch on Saturday morning when they face the University of Texas at Brownsville (10-2-1, 5-0 in RRAC), completing two matches against the top two squads in the league. The action begins at 11:00am.

Contact: Mark "Link" Warde, Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.