Box Score ODESSA, Texas – In a match delayed by 18 hours due to lightning, the Lady Chaps held off a late surge by Texas Permian Basin to earn their first Lone Star Conference win of the season 2-1 on Thursday, Sept. 15.
UTPB (2-2-1, 0-1 LSC) had chances early, as Kaylee Overmeyer fired a couple of shots on target in the first 15 minutes, forcing a fingertip save from Abby Kone in the net.
Evie Rodriguez earned the first chance for the Lady Chaps (4-0-3, 1-0 LSC) in the 20
th minute, but a save by Jenna McEnaney kept the match scoreless.
Martina Terra-Garcia got the best look for the Falcons in the first half in the 28
th minute, but another diving stop by Kone kept UTPB off the board.
LCU saw another chance in the 41
st minute off a corner kick, but a header by Andy Holder was corralled by McEnaney to keep both squads deadlocked.
A late foul with 16 seconds left by Texas Permian Basin allowed the Lady Chaps to set up for a free kick just outside the box.
Maddie Hoel delivered a perfect pass to
Makenna Pate, who laced the ball past the keeper and gave LCU the 1-0 lead heading into the halftime break.
Out of the intermission, the Lady Chaps peppered the box, outshooting UTPB 6-0 through the first 18 minutes of the second half, including a shot by
Graycen Rasmussen that just went off the crossbar.
In the 74
th minute, a foul in the box by Kristel Chaves set up Rasmussen for the penalty kick attempt, and the freshman from Joshua buried the shot to put LCU up 2-0.
UTPB found their offense late, as Overmeyer fired the Falcons first shot of the second half in the 81
st minute, a ripper that went past the head of Kone and cut the LCU lead down to 2-1. It was the first goal the Falcons have scored against Lubbock Christian in 294:31 of game action.
Overmeyer and the Falcons saw one more chance to tie the match, but a shot in the 87
th minute went high and the Lady Chaps held on for the 2-1 victory, their first conference win of the season.
With the goal, Pate moves into a tie for eighth place all-time with
Celia Duarte for points with 35 in her career.
Rasmussen has now recorded five points in the last three matches. The freshman has seven points so far this season.
The win is the 120
th overall of coach
Alex Denning's career and his 97
th all-time as the head coach of the Lady Chaps.
LCU has won nine straight against UTPB, outscoring the Falcons 29-2 in that span. In their last three matches against UTPB, the Lady Chaps have scored exactly two goals in each match.
The Lady Chaps return home for a date with the number one ranked team in the country, the Dallas Baptist Patriots, on Saturday, Sept. 17. Kickoff is set for 1 PM. Fans can purchase tickets online at lcuchaps.com
