Late OT stunner pushes No. 3 A&M-Commerce to Southland Soccer Championship final with 3-2 win over No. 2 Northwestern State
NATCHITOCHES, La. – Lauren Shaw headed home a rebound off the crossbar in the 105
th minute, giving third-seed Texas A&M-Commerce a 3-2 overtime victory over second-seed Northwestern State in the second semifinal of the 2022 Southland Conference Women’s Soccer Championship on Friday afternoon.
A&M-Commerce (9-8-2) advances to the conference tournament final in its first trip to the Southland Championship, becoming the first team in conference tournament history to do so. The Lions will take on top-seed Lamar (14-1-2) in the championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m. Northwestern State’s tournament run ends with an overall record of 12-4-3.
Northwestern State controlled possession throughout the game and outshot the Lions 27-11 with a 15-4 advantage in shots on goal. The Lady Demons had the wind at their back in the first half and had a 14-2 shot advantage.
The hosts took the lead in the 30
th minute, when Southland Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year Gracie Armstrong took on A&M-Commerce goalkeeper Jen Peters one-on-one and put away a rebound after an initial save for a 1-0 Northwestern State lead. Peters kept the Lions in the game in the first half, making seven saves.
When the field flipped and the Lions had the wind at their back, the lower seed took advantage and scored twice in four minutes. A&M-Commerce tied the game in the 66
th minute when Mindy Shoffit put home a corner kick by Leslie Campuzano.
Campuzano did the work herself on the Lions’ second tally, sending a nice long-range effort on a free kick over the head of Chloe DeShazer in the 69
th minute for a 2-1 Lion lead.
The Lady Demons fought back and tied the game in the 79
th minute. Armstrong coolly put away a penalty kick to her right to make it a 2-2 match.
In the first overtime period, Armstrong had two opportunities on goal for NSU, both saved by Gillian McKenzie.
The Lions only had one opportunity on goal in the second overtime, but they made it count. Melissa Storey was breaking towards goal and put a shot off the crossbar. The rebound came straight to Shaw about eight yards from goal, and the senior headed in her first goal of the season to put the Lions through to the championship match.