Lady Lions earn huge win over OLLU
Goal in 89th minute shocks 1st place team
Jessica Powell-Roman scores on penalty kick
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- In what has to be the biggest win in the history of the women's soccer program, Southwestern Assemblies of God University upset the first place Our lady of the Lake University in a 1-0 stunner late Thursday afternoon.
Senior captain Jessica Powell-Roman (Terrell, Tx / Terrell HS) scored the game's lone goal at the 88:32 mark on a penalty kick.
The kick, from 12-yards out, was set up a moment earlier when the Saints committed a foul inside the box. SAGU's leading scorer, sophomore Amy Lambdin (Stockton, Cal / Elliot Christian), was the target of a throw-in pass from the sideline. She was held and fouled, resulting in the official's call.
Powell-Roman stepped in to handle the penalty kick, as she is the team's best in that situation. Blessed with a powerful right leg, she delivered a blast beyond the goalie's reach high into the upper right corner.
Sophomore net-minder Haley Shingleton (Pasadena, Tx / Deer Park HS) collected her fourth shutout of the season for SAGU.
The Lady Lions were outshot, 22-2, by OLLU, but remained poised, prepared for their opportunity.
SAGU, who got off to a slow start at 1-8, have now won four of their last five games. They are in sixth place with a 3-3 mark in the Red River Athletic Conference. The top six teams earn a berth in the RRAC post-season tournament.
The team is 5-9 overall, the most wins ever for a program that began in 2006. Head Coach Mandy Fortner, in her second season at the helm, led the team to four wins in 2011, tying their previous record.
They also won a post-season game a year ago in the National Christian College Athletic Association's Central Regional.
Upcoming Games
Southwestern will travel south 277 miles tonight to the Rio Grande Valley. On Saturday they will face the University of Texas at Brownsville (7-3 overall, 5-0 in RRAC).
They return to campus early on Sunday and will have two home games next week; October 18 against Texas Wesleyan University, and Oct. 20 versus the University of the Southwest. The latter will be Senior/Parents Day.
The home finale will also be aired live and in high definition on SAGU TV by SAGU Sports Live.
Coach's Assessment
"This was such a tough game," said Coach Fortner. "We were up against a very good team. But we didn't back down and we played with passion and confidence."
"Our ladies fought hard to limit their shots to long ones outside of the box," she added. "Only a couple of really good saves had to be made by Haley. Most of the rest were from a distance or weren't strong."
"Our Lady limited us to just a few chances. But we're shape and we pushed really hard in the last 10 (minutes) and actually advanced inside the box a few times."
"Lyndi (Garrison) took the ball up the sideline and beat two defenders and made a great cross to Penny (Natalie Pena)," quipped Fortner, describing the team's best chance to score against a solid OLLU team. Her shot was low and hard, but their keeper made a good save. That was really our only other scoring threat."
True that. SAGU had just two shots, both of them on goal, and they never attempted a cornerkick. Meanwhile, the Lady Saints controlled much of the attack and put nine shots on goal, where Shingleton was pitching a shutout. OLLU had three cornerkicks.
There were only six fouls called, three on each team. Until the a breakdown in the Saints' back line late in the match. The goal for Powell-Roman was her fourth this season.
SAGU has now scored 27 this fall, which is a new school record. A year ago the Lady Lions netted just 13 goals, and had only seven during the 2010 campaign.
After Thursday's big win, however, players may have forgotten the others like an old Almanac. Besides, they're too busy achieving to stop to count.
Contact: Mark "Link" Warde, SAGU 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.
