FORT WORTH – Two goals by
Bianca Roman – the last with one second left in regulation – helped Wayland Baptist to a 2-2, double-overtime tie with Texas Wesleyan in the Sooner Athletic Conference opener for both teams here Tuesday.
I'm not sure what else to say about tonight, except 'Wow'," WBU coach
Shiloh Posey said. "What an effort by our team. I've never seen any team give more than our ladies did tonight, against a very solid Texas Wesleyan program.
"We've talked a lot about believing…in each other, in yourself and trusting the process. I've lost a game to Texas Wesleyan with, literally, one second on the clock. Tonight it was nice to get the goal with one second left."
The tie ended a four-match win streak for Wayland, which moved to 4-2-1 overall and 0-0-1 in the conference. The Lady Rams wen to 5-1-2, 0-0-1.
After a scoreless first half, Roman ended the deadlock with a goal in the 56
th minute. Texas Wesleyan's Danielle Trought tied in seven minutes later, then Trought put the Lady Rams up with another goal 10 minutes after that.
With just seconds left on the clock, Texas Wesleyan appeared on its way to chalking up the victory, but the Pioneers had other plans. With some 10 seconds to play, WBU got off a free kick near midfield. The ball made its way into the box, and several people touched it before Roman punched it in literally at the last second.
It was the senior's seventh goal in seven matches. She had eight goals in 12 matches last season
After a celebration by the Pioneers, the teams went back out for two scoreless 10-minute overtime periods.
Ajacia Mojica got off two shots on-goal in the first OT, while WBU goalkeeper Kanada Morita saved the lone shot on-goal in the second extra period with 30 seconds to play.
Texas Wesleyan got off 27 shots, with Morita recording 11 saves. WBU ended with 13 shots, 11 of which were on-target. All five of Mojica's shots were on-goal, while Roman had two of four on-target shots.
"The ladies battled all night… rain delays, late starts, and a lot of other things, and all of them played an amazing part in the win…from those who played every minute, to those who cheered their teammates on. This group has such a family care for each other, and I'm proud of what we were able to do tonight."
Posey also credited assistant coach
Alan Reyna, who is "bringing a great gift of energy and experience, and the team is responding well."
The Pioneers will have their hands full in their next match, set for 2 p.m. Saturday against No. 9 John Brown in Siloam Springs, Ark. The Golden Eagles (5-1, 0-0) opened SAC play by hosting Central Christian (7-0-1) on Tuesday.
"We look forward to this weekend and all of the potential that it holds," Posey said.
