Soccer: Lady Lions Blanked on the Border

GK Tracy Griffin Stops 20 Shots! 

BROWNSVILLE, Texas -- The University of Texas at Brownsville managed three goals and stuffed the Southwestern Assemblies of God University in women's soccer, 3-0, in a midday game on Saturday.

Played within sight of the Rio Grande River, the Lady Lions still held their own against a superior team.

"We played fairly well for stretches of the first half," said assistant coach Mandy Fortner. "Kerri (Guinn) and Perla (Acosta) got shots and we played with confidence and purpose."

Guinn (Nevada, Tx / Community HS), a freshman, scored her first career goal the previous week. She had three great runs down the left side, but the team was unable to finish those possessions. Acosta (Houston, Tx / Klein Forest HS) is a fiery freshman forward whose speed and drive are great assets.

The Lady Scorpions began getting their own opportunities to score. It took them almost twenty minutes before finally putting one on the scoreboard. They added their second in the 27th minute, and continued firing away.

Minding Her Business

They peppered senior net-minder Tracy Griffin (Wylie, Tx / Wylie HS) with an incredible 39 shots, 23 of which were on-goal. Ranked as the nation's fifth best at making saves, Griffin stopped a season-best 20 shots according to UTB statisticians. She didn't allow another goal until the fiftieth minute, and then blanked UTB over the final 40 minutes. College soccer games consist of two, 45-minute halves.

The 5-foot-9 Griffin was second in the conference in 2009 in saves and is the current leader this season.

"Our defenders kept battling," Fortner said. "We cleared balls out of the box the whole second half, or they'd have surely scored more."

UTB's goals were credited to Chelsea Maidment, Verena Wonsikowski and Linette Cuvillier, who also had an assist.

Final Games at Home

Southwestern has two games remaining in 2010. Both will be played at home, this week, on Southwestern Field. On Thursday the Lady Lions will take on Texas Wesleyan, followed by a festive finale on Saturday, October 30.

Prior to their 11am game with University of the Southwest (N.M.), there will special recognition of senior players as well as parents of all players. After the game there will be a cookout for the team and their families.

NAIA Rules Win over Southwestern Adventist Doesn't Count

A clarification of the status of the soccer program at Southwestern Adventist University this year means the Lady Lions' 8-0 win a month ago will not count in the books, either as a win, or in official goals scored by players. SAU's website lists the reason. (http://www.swau.edu/campus-life/sports-and-recreation). The change of records will be reflected on the SAGU Athletic website as well as the RRAC and the NAIA. This also applies to the men's team, who defeated the Knights 4-2.

Current RRAC Standings