No. 4 Huskies Down No. 2 Ladyjacks for 2016 Championship
Southland Conference
Final Box Score
2016 Tournament Central
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – With the 2016 Southland Conference Soccer Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on the line, the No. 4 Houston Baptist Huskies struck early and held on in the face of a furious second-half onslaught from No. 2 Stephen F. Austin to take a 1-0 victory on Sunday in Corpus Christi.
The Huskies wasted no time, getting on the board with their first trip into SFA’s defensive third. A corner kick from senior Alessia Dal Monte with 3:38 played was expertly headed to the bottom left corner by senior Allison Abendschein to give Houston Baptist an early 1-0 lead over the No. 2 Ladyjacks.
Sophomore goalkeeper Alanis Guevara continued her stellar tournament play, making an impressive low save on Stephen F. Austin’s first true threat on goal – a close-range shot by senior Hailey Hunt.
The Ladyjacks threatened again with a corner kick with 10:44 played. A header from senior Brooke Dunnigan floated dangerously in front of goal but was just barely cleared off the line by Husky sophomore Autumn Wildung.
Guevara charged to cut out another dangerous cross to deny a tying goal again as the Husky back line was well on its heels against a high-pressing SFA offense, and again coming far off her line to shut down a dangerous run into the center her box by senior Amanda Doyle.
Doyle would have another prime scoring opportunity with just over 34 minutes played, rising well above the Husky defense but sending her header just wide right of Guevara’s goal.
Houston Baptist nearly went up 2-0 with just over seven minutes to go in the half when a rebound shot by Abendschein rattled off the crossbar and was nervously cleared by the SFA defense.
Although Houston Baptist was outshot 9-4, Guevara made three saves and her aggressive control of her box helped preserve the 1-0 halftime lead for the Huskies.
The Ladyjacks stepped up their offense in the second half, creating multiple dangerous scoring chances in the opening minutes. A point-blank shot by senior Kelly Ann Craig was deflected just wide by the Husky defense just over ten minutes into the half. SFA goalkeeper Lillie Ehlert, who had a relatively quiet first half, was made to make an impressive save against Husky sophomore Sabriah Spencer to prevent putting SFA at a two-goal deficit with 30 minutes to play in regulation.
Two more opportunities to draw level by Stephen F. Austin were cut out, with one shot by Hunt blocked at 71:47 and one by Meghan Corder sent just wide left less than a minute later.
A corner kick with just under 10 minutes to go saw Dunnigan’s header sail just high of Guevara’s goal as the Ladyjacks desperately pushed for an equalizer as time wound down. Kelly Ann Craig was stonewalled again with a close-range save from Guevara with five minutes to go.
With less than a minute to play, SFA sent Ehlert forward into the box for an extra body on a long free kick attempt, but the Husky defense would hold strong and seal the 2016 championship with a 1-0 victory.
The Ladyjacks outshot the Huskies by an impressive 17-10 mark, but with an incredible performance between the posts from Guevara and a suffocating HBU defense, they were unable to capitalize on their opportunities. Guevara tallied four saves on 17 shots faced while Tournament MVP Abendschein notched three shots and All-Tournament selection Ellee Hall registered four.
Houston Baptist now has two Southland tournament titles to their name, the last coming in 2014, where they also defeated Stephen F. Austin as a lower seed.
The NCAA Division I Soccer Selection Show will take place tomorrow, Nov. 7 at 3:30 p.m. CT. The selections will be streamed live and the finalized bracket will be available on
NCAA.com.
Misty Jones, Houston Baptist head coach:
“We are so proud of the effort and determination that the girls put in this week and weekend.”
“SFA is an excellent team and made us fight to keep the lead. It is nice to bring the trophy back home. Two championships in three years is big for our program. Being the underdog puts less pressure on us and we were able to play our game. It was a tremendous effort from the players and staff and we would like to thank the fans that traveled from all over to support us. This team personified what it means to be a champion.”
Wally Crittendon, Stephen F. Austin head coach:
"It was a great tournament and a tremendous host facility. The staff at TAMU-Corpus Christi and the Southland Conference did a tremendous job.
Houston Baptist were good today and were able to get an early set piece on us and hold off one of our better attacking days. If you had told me before the game we would take 17 shots and would not score a couple, I wouldn't have believed you knowing the offensive efficiency of our team. But, that is the game we play and I am very proud of this team and how they fought today and all season long. I wish the best of luck to HBU as they represent us in the NCAAs."
2016 Southland Conference Soccer All-Tournament Team
Allison Abendschein – Houston Baptist – Most Valuable Player
Ellee Hall - Houston Baptist
Hanna Barker - Stephen F. Austin
Alanis Guevara - Houston Baptist
Lillie Ehlert - Stephen F. Austin
Breanna Moore - Stephen F. Austin
Kristi O’Brien - Houston Baptist
Brooke Dunnigan - Stephen F. Austin
Sabriah Spencer - Houston Baptist
Rachel Palet - McNeese
Alessia Dal Monte - Houston Baptist