GOODWELL, Okla. – Wayland Baptist women's soccer used a three-goal second half to earn a 3-1 road victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State University on Tuesday night at Anchor D Stadium.
The victory improved the Pioneers to 6-4-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play, while OPSU fell to 2-6-2 overall and 0-3-1 in conference action.
Wayland controlled much of the possession and generated opportunities throughout the opening 45 minutes but was unable to break through. The Pioneers outshot the Aggies 10-4 in the first half, putting four attempts on goal, as the teams entered halftime scoreless.
The Pioneers came out with renewed urgency after the break, and Alexia Fregoso opened the scoring in the 56th minute. Erin Carr delivered the assist as Fregoso found the back of the net to give Wayland a 1-0 advantage.
Less than nine minutes later, Carr helped create another scoring opportunity. This time, Tannia Diaz converted in the 64th minute off Carr's second assist of the match, extending the Wayland lead to 2-0.
The Pioneers quickly added another. After an OPSU foul resulted in a penalty kick, Eduarda Martins stepped to the spot and converted in the 66th minute, giving Wayland three goals in a span of just over 10 minutes and a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Oklahoma Panhandle State answered in the 73rd minute when Celine Loraine scored off an assist from Toriana Holt, but the Pioneers allowed nothing further and closed out the 3-1 road victory.
Wayland finished the match with a 20-9 advantage in shots and an 11-3 edge in shots on goal. Diaz led the Pioneers with six shots, including four on goal, while Fregoso recorded three shots and scored once. Aniyah Perez, Lilly Gansauge and Talia Gisonni each added two shots.
Carr played a key role in Wayland's second-half attack, recording assists on each of the Pioneers' first two goals. Goalkeeper Maria Tomas played all 90 minutes, making two saves and allowing one goal.
Head Coach Alex Castaneda was pleased with the way his team responded after the halftime break.
"We had a slow start in the first half and didn't play at the level we expect from ourselves," Castaneda said. "Credit to the team for responding in the second half, picking up the tempo and playing with much more intensity and urgency. Most importantly, we found a way to get the win. It wasn't our best first half, but I was proud of how the team responded and finished the game strong."
UP NEXT
Wayland will continue conference play on the road when the Pioneers travel to face Southwestern Christian University on Saturday at 1 p.m.
