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LeTourneau Women’s Golf Takes Third At Al and Nancy Jones Memorial Invitational
TYLER, Texas – The LeTourneau University women’s golf team finished in third place following the final round of the Al and Nancy Jones Jr. Memorial Invitational hosted by the University of Texas-Tyler at the Cascades Golf Club in Tyler, Texas on Tuesday, September 25.
LETU’s third-place finish comes following a final round team score of 347, seven strokes better than their opening round and tying their season-best total for one round. The two-day total of 701 is also a season-best for the YellowJackets.
Earning her first top-10 finish of the year, freshman Brittany Taylor carded a final round 83 to finish 10th with a two-day total of 171 while Shelby Allen was tied for 11th with a final round of 89 (173). Baylee Van Houten turned in a final round of 92 for a 178 total and a 14th-place finish while Rachael Green rounded out the team scoring after tying for 15th with a 96-83-179 total.
LETU will be back in action again next week when they participate in the Mary Hardin-Baylor Lady Crusader Invitational held at Squaw Valley Golf Course in Glen Rose, Texas.
Shelby Allen Leads LeTourneau Women’s Golf After Day One At Al and Nancy Jones Jr. Memorial Invitational
TYLER, Texas – Led by freshman Shelby Allen, the LeTourneau University women’s golf team finds themselves in third place as a team following the first day of competition at the Al and Nancy Jones Jr. Memorial Invitational held at the Cascades Golf Club in Tyler, Texas on Monday, September 24th.
As a team, LETU shot a score of 354, trailing Tournament leader Texas-Tyler who shot a 294 and the UT-Tyler “B” team who shot a 323.
Allen finds herself inside the top 10 in ninth-place following a season-best round of 84 while Baylee Van Houten sits two shots back in a tie for 10th following an 86. Brittany Taylor would just miss out on tying her season-best score and would finish the opening day within a tie for 13th following a round of 88 while the YellowJacket team score was rounded out with a 96 from Rachael Green (T19).
LETU will start final round action tomorrow morning with an 8 a.m. shotgun start on the 5,803-yard, Par-72 course.
LeTourneau Women’s Tennis Concludes Fall Schedule At ITA Fall Regional
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Returning to action one final time during the 2018 fall season, the LeTourneau University women’s tennis team put up a strong effort at the ITA Fall Regional hosted by Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, September 22.
Leading the way for LETU was the doubles pairing of Samantha Trevino and Lauren Rockwell in the “C” flight consolation draw, advancing to the championship match before falling to Genna Ellinwood and Camille Kempf of Concordia Texas by a score of 6-8.
Other doubles action on Saturday saw Bailey Deatherage and Gracie Favela fall in the “B” flight semifinals to Gabby Ellwanger and Neah Garza of McMurry by a score of 5-8 while Maddison Brackenreg and Terin Murray dropped a 7-9 decision to Alexandra Pedrazza and Jennifer Garcia of Schreiner in the “A” flight consolation draw.
In singles play, Brackenreg would battle Cecile Wilde of Southwestern University in the “A” flight consolation bracket before ultimately falling by a score of 4-6, 5-7 while Murray dropped a “B” flight consolation match to Garza by a score of 1-6, 3-6. Trevino also had a match in singles play, falling to Elizabeth Lopez of Hardin-Simmons in the “C” flight semifinals by a score of 6-1, 5-7, 7-10.
LeTourneau’s 2019 spring schedule will get underway on Friday, February 22, when the YellowJackets host Dallas Baptist University at the Davis Tennis Courts.
LeTourneau Men’s Soccer Earns 2-1 Double-Overtime Victory Over Hardin-Simmons
LONGVIEW, Texas – Fighting through wet and slippery conditions, the LeTourneau University men’s soccer team produced a golden goal to secure a 2-1 victory in a double-overtime thriller against Hardin-Simmons University on Saturday, September 22.
The dramatic win lifted LETU to a 3-4-1 overall record and a 2-2 record in American Southwest Conference action. The Cowboys failed to come up with their first victory of the season, falling to 0-6-1 overall and a 0-3-1 record in ASC action.
How it Happened
After last year’s matchup ended in a draw, the YellowJackets and Cowboys found themselves in another evenly matched duel throughout much of the first half.
HSU saw the first big opportunity of the match as they would string together two corner kicks and five shots midway through the first half.
Despite the multitude of opportunities for the Cowboys, YellowJacket goalie C.J. Leyva would turn away all three shots on goal to keep the game scoreless.
It was LETU who was able to profit from a corner kick in the 35th minute when Eric Smith would redirect a failed clearance by the Cowboys into the net for the only goal of the first half.
Coming out of the break, each team would be able to get off multiple shots and keep the pressure on each team’s goalie.
It wasn’t until the 72nd minute that HSU put serious pressure on the YellowJacket defense as they earned four corner kicks in a span of three minutes.
After four missed opportunities on the previous three corner kicks, the Cowboys would find an equalizer at the 71:06 mark by knocking the ball into the net off a blocked shot to deadlock the game at 1-1 with thirteen minutes remaining in regulation.
The rest of regulation would go by relatively quietly as YellowJacket senior Alec Wier would put off the final shot attempt in regulation but see the ball miss high.
Primed to bounce back after the late-regulation goal by the Cowboys, LETU controlled possession for the majority of the first overtime period, earning three corner kicks and two shots with a prime opportunity getting cleared off the goal line at the last second.
Trying to re-claim offensive possession, Hardin-Simmons responded in the second overtime period by putting up three shots before LeTourneau would get a chance to counterattack in the 109th minute.
With 57 seconds away from coming away with a draw, the YellowJackets refused to back down as Wier sent in a picture-perfect pass to the middle of the 18-yard box where he found Moises Soto-Barrera in stride.
Soto-Barrera made the most of his one-on-one opportunity with the HSU goalie, sending a shot into the top right corner of the net over outstretched arms to give the YellowJackets a 2-1 overtime victory.
Key Stats:
Leyva earned his third win between the pipes for the YellowJackets, recording five saves and holding the Cowboys to just a single goal.
Each team came away with six shots on goal, but it would be Hardin-Simmons who held a commanding upper hand in total shots with 26 compared to only nine for LETU.
There was a great deal of action in the corners for the Cowboys as they saw an 18-8 advantage on corner kicks but were able to capitalize on just the one as the LETU defense would stand up to the task on set pieces.
With only the second shot of his season, Soto-Barrera netted the first goal of his collegiate career for the YellowJackets.
What’s Next?
The YellowJackets will look to carry their momentum with them as they travel to Alpine, TX to take on Sul Ross State University on Saturday, September 29th at 3:30 p.m. The Lobos will enter next week with a 1-4 overall record and a 1-1 record in conference play and are scheduled to take on East Texas Baptist University on Thursday afternoon.
LeTourneau Women’s Soccer Handed 4-0 Defeat By #9 Hardin-Simmons
LONGVIEW, Texas – Fresh off a 2-1 victory over McMurry University, the LeTourneau University women’s soccer team would be unable to carry over momentum as number nine-nationally ranked Hardin-Simmons University handed the YellowJackets a 4-0 defeat at the LETU Soccer Field in Longview, Texas on Saturday, September 22.
LETU now stands at 6-2-1 overall and 2-2-0 in the American Southwest Conference while the Cowgirls improved to 5-1-0 and 3-0-0 in the ASC.
How It Happened:
Playing on an overly-saturated field, HSU would take possession early on in the game and put up a shot at the 3:27 mark before sending a cross into the 18-yard box that would be cleaned up by Randie Dennison to give Hardin-Simmons a 1-0 lead.
LeTourneau would quickly push the ball into the attacking third of the field off the restart, getting a shot from Jennifer Martin that would force a save from Cowgirl goalie Casey Carillo.
Teams would then settle in and look for opportunities as a steady rain started to fall towards the mid-way point of the first half as playing conditions worsened as the opening period progressed.
Holding onto their 1-0 lead, HSU would add a goal on a failed clearance in the box as the Cowgirls would fire a shot past a line of LETU defenders and into the back of the net to make the score 2-0 at intermission.
Out of the break, Hardin-Simmons would earn a trio of corner kicks in the opening 20 minutes of the half while seeing a pair of shots just miss making the score 3-0.
Forced to pack into the defensive third of the field, LeTourneau conceded a third goal on a corner kick in the 69th minute as a deflected shot would be headed past the YellowJacket goalie.
Another corner kick in the 90th minute allowed for HSU to tack on a final goal with 14 seconds left in the game as LETU would be shutout for the first time this season.
Key Stats:
After putting up three shots in the first half, LETU would be held without a shot in the final 45 minutes of the game.
As part of the offensive attack for the Cowgirls, Hardin-Simmons would be awarded 11 corner kicks in the game compared to just two for the YellowJackets.
Splitting time in net for LeTourneau, Mackenzie Wilbanks would play the first 72:19 of the game and make two saves while junior Mari Zeitlow closed out the final 17:41 of action.
What’s Next?
LeTourneau will make their longest trek of the season, traveling to Alpine, Texas to take on Sul Ross State University in ASC action at 1:00 pm on Saturday, September 29. The 2-2 Lobos had a bye week this past week and will entertain East Texas Baptist University on Thursday, September 27 before hosting the YellowJackets.
Comeback Comes Up Short For LeTourneau Volleyball At Sul Ross
ALPINE, Texas – Forcing the fifth set after going down two sets to zero, the LeTourneau University volleyball team would be unable to complete their comeback in a five-set defeat at the Gallego Center in Alpine, Texas on Saturday, September 22.
The loss leaves LETU with a 5-9 overall record and 2-4 mark in the American Southwest Conference while the Lobos improved to 3-7 overall and 2-3 in the ASC.
How It Happened:
Giving up a 3-0 run to the Lobos in the first set following a 3-3 tie, the YellowJackets would play from behind for the rest of the set while trying to catch the Lobos.
The SRSU lead would close to a single-point at 8-7, but a 4-0 run opened back up the Sul Ross lead until LeTourneau went on a 4-0 run of their own to tie the set at 22-22.
With the set up for grabs, it would be the Lobos who would come away victorious as Sul Ross scored the final three points of the set in front of their home crowd to take the set 25-22 and jump out to an early lead in the match.
Things would stay close throughout the second set as the YellowJackets would build small leads of two points but see the Lobos come back and tie the set numerous times in the opening 18 points.
Tied at 9-9, LETU would score the next three points and four of the next five points to go up 14-10, but see Sul Ross once again manage to come back and tie the set at 14-14.
Neither team would be able to open up a lead of larger than two points heading into the final stretch of the set, as the Lobos once again would battle back from a 22-20 deficit to tie the set at 22-22 as part of a 5-0 run to end the set and take a 25-23 win.
Needing a win to stay alive in the match, LETU would finally be able to put together a large run to break open a 6-6 tie by scoring the next six points of the set to go up 12-6.
The lead wouldn’t hold however as the Lobos managed to tie the set at 14-14 and again at 15-15, but see LeTourneau go on a 5-1 run to go up 20-16.
Following one final tie in the set at 21-21, LETU finally managed to pull away with four of the final five points of the set out of a timeout and push the match to a fourth set.
Sul Ross would be poised to try and close out the match with an early 7-3 lead in the fourth set, and build out their lead to 11-7 before seeing LeTourneau battle back to tie the match at 11-11.
The tie would be part of an 11-0 run for the YellowJackets that put LETU up by a score of 18-11, as the run would give LeTourneau enough of a cushion to pull out a 25-16 win.
Having battled back to force a winner-take-all fifth set, LETU would get off to a slow start before using a 5-1 run to take a 5-3 lead following back-to-back SRSU attack errors.
Things would get even closer as the Lobos tied the set at 8-8 while going on a 5-0 run to open up an 11-8 lead and force the YellowJackets to once again play from behind.
The Sul Ross lead would grow to four at 13-9, forcing an LETU timeout to try and regroup and make one last push to get back into the set.
Back-to-back kills by freshman Kianna Crow out of the timeout closed the Sul Ross lead to 13-11 before an attack error brought LeTourneau within one, but it would be the Lobos who would find a way to score the final two points of the match to take the five-set thriller.
Key Stats:
Attack errors would wind up being the undoing of the YellowJackets in the match, as LETU would commit 42 errors while hitting just .044 in the match.
Sul Ross wouldn’t fare much better, committing 35 attack errors of their own, but used five blocks and five service aces to help secure points at key moments in the match.
Crow recorded a career-high 22 kills and had 19 digs while Cam Taylor led the YellowJackets with 22 assists and had 14 digs.
What’s Next?
LeTourneau will finally get a chance to play in front of their home crowd, playing host to East Texas Baptist University in an American Southwest Conference matchup at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, September 25.
LeTourneau Men’s Cross Country Competes At Chile Pepper Festival
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Returning to the cross country course for just the second time this season in a meet format, the LeTourneau University men’s cross country team competed as part of the 49-team Chile Pepper Festival at Agri Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Saturday, September 22.
“Today we saw the men’s team run their first 8K of the year, and we saw some good things out of our runners,” said head coach Mesa Allison in a post-race interview. “We still have some room to improve over the next month heading into the conference meet, but all of our runners are running much smarter races as they get more opportunities.”
Leading LETU among the 441-person field, senior Michael Field turned in a time of 28:33.30 on the 8K course while Lorien Nightingale closely trailed him with a time of 28:35.0. Wesley Anderson would finish the race with a time of 29:32.80 with Nathan Glastetter (30:49.10) and Jared Rose (30:59.10) finishing back-to-back for LETU. Also running in the meet for the YellowJackets was Daniel Lopez (31:29.10), Bailey Belk (33:03.60), Ethan Stubblefield (33:38.90), and Matt Nusser (33:39.50).
Up next for LeTourneau will be the East Texas Baptist Invitational scheduled for Saturday, October 6. The meet will take place on the campus of East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas.
LeTourneau Women’s Cross Country Improves Times At Chile Pepper Festival
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Competing against 50 other teams across NCAA Division I, II, II, the NAIA, and the NJCAA, the LeTourneau University women’s cross country team would be paced by freshman Logan Parish at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival held at Agri Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Saturday, September 22.
“Today we competed against some of the fastest runners in the nation across multiple different divisions,” said head coach Mesa Allison in a post-race interview. “Our women ran hard throughout the entire race, and it showed with the number of personal records that they were able to set.”
Parish would lead the seven YellowJacket runners in the 5K meet with a time of 20:30.70 for a 215th place finish among the 422-participant field. Fellow freshman McKenzie Craycraft would turn in a personal-best time of 21:02.50 for a 245th place finish while senior Bridey Davis finished with a time of 23:36.60, 40 seconds better than her last time out. Also competing in the meet for LETU was Kali Carter with a time of 23:48.30, Julianne Hood (23:57.00), Allison Fuller (25:33.70), and Bari Schunicht (28:04.30).
LeTourneau will return to action on Saturday, October 6th when the YellowJackets make the short trip down Highway 80 to compete in the East Texas Baptist Cross Country Invitational.
LeTourneau Volleyball Falls In Four-Set Matches At ASC Crossover Tournament
ALPINE, Texas – Following a full day of travel down to Southwest Texas, the LeTourneau University volleyball team dropped a pair of four-set matches to Hardin-Simmons University and McMurry University in a split-doubleheader at the Gallego Center in Alpine, Texas to open up the first American Southwest Conference Crossover Tournament of the 2018 season.
With the losses, the YellowJackets fall to 5-8 overall and 2-3 in ASC play. The Cowgirls now sit at 9-4 overall and 2-3 in ASC action while McMurry improved to a perfect 13-0 and 4-0 in conference play.
How it Happened (Hardin-Simmons):
With a back and forth battle to start the first set, neither team was able to secure a comfortable lead and exchanged back-to-back 4-0 runs early on. It wasn’t until an 8-1 run from the YellowJackets that LETU was able to find their first lead of the match on top, forcing an HSU timeout with a three-point lead (16-13).
Coming out of the timeout the Cowgirls were quick to answer, deadlocking the game at 16. Carrying that momentum until the final five points, the Cowgirls claimed three of those points and were able to secure the first set victory 25-23.
Ready to bounce back, LETU would take an early 5-2 advantage before seeing the Cowgirls find a spark of their own and take a 10-6 lead of their own. LeTourneau wouldn’t be down long however as the YellowJackets were able to find a 5-0 run to keep the Cowgirls from pulling away and reclaim the lead at 13-11.
LeTourneau would then be tasked with fending off multiple efforts by the Cowgirls to keep themselves in the game, as the YellowJackets found themselves victorious at the end of the set when a kill by freshman Kianna Crow gave them the 25-23 set win to knot the match at one set each.
It was the 13 attack errors against the YellowJackets that stunted their game in the third set as the Cowgirls took full advantage and took the set 25-7. Hardin-Simmons managed to record only two attack errors, using a 13-0 run midway through the set to pull away for the victory.
Despite an early 6-2 lead in the fourth set by the YellowJackets, HSU would use another large rally and on an 11-0 run to turn a 13-12 LETU deficit into a 24-12 LeTourneau deficit that would be too large to overcome.
Key Stats:
The kill advantage proved to be the spark for the Cowgirls, striking 40 while the YellowJackets came up short with 28.
Despite LETU holding a 6-4 advantage in blocks during the match, the Cowgirls were able to capitalize on their commanding advantage in service aces by coming away with eight while the YellowJackets registered only one.
Crow continued to add to her impressive freshman year campaign as she recorded a team-high nine kills, while fellow sophomore Torie Langston followed close behind with eight kills and five blocks. Cam Taylor had a team-high 13 assists for the YellowJackets and added three digs.
How It Happened (McMurry):
Plagued by a slow start to open the match, LETU would fall behind by a score of 8-3 and never recover in a first set that saw the War Hawks hit .464 in the set.
LeTourneau struggles would be compounded by nine attack errors in the opening frame as McMurry continued to build on their lead throughout the set to take a 25-13 opening set victory.
Putting the first set behind them, LETU would find themselves in a back-and-forth start to the second set as the War Hawks and YellowJackets would find six-ties in the opening 20 points of the set including at 10 all.
With things still neck-and-neck at 16-15, LeTourneau would tack on two more points on kills by Audrey Galindo and Crow to go up 18-15 before going on a 5-0 run to go up 24-17 before taking the set 25-19.
McMurry managed to jump out to a small lead at 10-6 to open up the third set as the YellowJackets would look to battle their way back before the end of the set, but never could quite close the gap as the War Hawks wouldn’t allow LETU to get any closer than three points at 19-16 before pulling away late for a 25-19 set victory.
After taking an early lead at 4-3 to open the fourth set, LeTourneau would see the War Hawks fight their way back to open up a 10-6 lead and force a YellowJacket timeout.
The McMurry lead would grow to as many as 11 at 21-10 to put the War Hawks in what would appear to be complete control, but LETU would not go down without a fight.
Scoring 11 of the next 12 points in the set, LeTourneau closed the gap to within one to force a McMurry timeout, and would eventually manage to tie the set at 23-23.
Despite the determination and laterally, the War Hawks would manage to score the final two points of the match over an exhausted YellowJacket squad to win the match.
Key Stats:
In what would amount to a sloppy match by both squads, it would be McMurry who would find a way to scrape out a .171 attack percentage while holding the YellowJackets to just a .083 percentage following 29 attack errors.
Neither team would receive much help at the service line in the match, with a total of just three service aces total coming along with 11 service errors.
Crow would lead all players in the match with 15 kills and add 16 digs for a double-double while junior Mikayla Thomas had 10 kills on 24 attacks for a .333 attack percentage.
What’s Next?
LeTourneau will look to bounce back on Saturday with a 2:00 pm road match against host school Sul Ross State University to close out the first of two crossover tournaments that will take place on the season. The YellowJackets and Lobos met up earlier this season in non-conference action, with LeTourneau earning a four-set victory.
LeTourneau Women’s Tennis Opens ITA Fall Regional With Strong Day One
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Earning a total of eight wins across singles and doubles action, the LeTourneau University women’s tennis team saw all six individuals competing for an advance to Saturday action at the ITA Fall Regional Tennis Tournament hosted in San Antonio, Texas on Friday, September 21.
LETU was led in singles play by Samantha Trevino who earned a pair of wins over Kate Duke of McMurry (6-4, 6-1) and Brynna Taylor (1-6, 7-5, 10-7) to advance to Saturday’s “C” Flight Quarterfinal round while Maddi Brackenreg bounced back from an opening round 3-6, 0-6 loss to Sam Ritz of McMurry to defeat Emily Shaffer of Hardin-Simmons by a score of 6-4, 6-2. The victory for Brackenreg moves the junior into tomorrow’s “A” flight consolation quarterfinal match against Cecile Wilde of Southwestern University.
In doubles action, LETU picked up wins from Bailey Deatherage and Gracie Favela in the “B” flight with an 8-3 victory over Kali Kyo and Iris Montero of Schreiner before defeating Abby Watson and Annie Wise of Trinity University 8-5. Deatherage and Favela will play in tomorrow’s “B” flight semifinals against Gabby Ellwanger and Neah Garza of McMurry University.
Trevino and Lauren Rockwell managed to bounce back from an 8-4 loss in their opening doubles match in the “C” flight to defeat Madison Starr and Kaitlyn Enloe of Texas Lutheran 8-4, advancing to the consolation “C” flight semifinals match tomorrow morning. Brackenreg and Murray will also play Saturday morning in the “A” flight consolation bracket after falling by a score of 8-6 to Kelsey Doege and Elizabeth Lopez of Hardin-Simmons.
Maddison Brackenreg – “A” Flight – L (3-6, 0-6) to Sam Ritz (McMurry University), Consolation “A” – W, 6-4, 6-2 over Emily Shaffer (Hardin-Simmons).
Gracie Favela – “A” Flight – L (4-6, 6-1, 5-10) to Chandler Vrba (Southwestern), Consolation “A” – L (2-6, 4-6 to Svaksha Iyengar (UT-Dallas).
Terin Murray – “B” Flight – L (1-6, 3-6) to Jordan Shepley (Hardin-Simmons)
Bailey Deatherage “B” Flight – W (7-6 {10-6}, 7-5) over Abigail Kendall (Hardin-Simmons), L (2-6, 4-6) to Claire Huffine (McMurry)
Lauren Rockwell – “C” Flight – W (6-0, 6-0) over Emyleigh Johnson (UMHB), L (2-6, 4-6) to Isabel Candelario (Southwestern)
Samantha Trevino – “C” Flight” – W (6-4, 6-1) over Kate Duke (McMurry), W (1-6, 7-5, 10-7) over Brynna Taylor (Howard Payne)
ITA Regional Doubles Play
Maddison Brackenreg / Terin Murray – “A” Flight – L (8-6) to Kelsey Doege / Elizabeth Lopez (Hardin-Simmons)
Bailey Deatherage / Gracie Favela – “B” Flight – W (8-3) over Kali Kyo / Iris Montero (Schreiner), W (8-5) over Abby Watson, Annie Wise (Trinity University)
Samantha Trevino / Lauren Rockwell – “C” Flight – L (4-8) to Becky Sherman / Shelby Worsham (Hendrix College), Consolation “C” – W (8-4) over Madison Starr / Kaitlyn Enloe (Texas Lutheran)
LeTourneau Men’s Soccer Snags Late Goal For 1-0 Victory Over McMurry
LONGVIEW, Texas – Following an aggressive defensive battle for a majority of the game, the LeTourneau men’s soccer team managed to find a late-game goal en route to earning their first American Southwest Conference win of the season over McMurry University at the LETU Soccer Field in Longview, Texas on Thursday, September 20.
With the win, LETU breaks their two-game losing streak to improve to 2-4-1 overall and 1-2-0 in ASC action while the War Hawks fall to 2-2-2 and 1-1-0 in ASC play.
How it Happened:
Both teams came out with an aggressive style of play, exchanging fouls and shots for the majority of the first half while proving it was going to be a defensive battle throughout the contest.
The YellowJackets saw their first opportunity to score come in the 10th minute when Luis De La Torre served in a corner kick to Eric Smith but would see Smith’s attempt go wide.
The War Hawks managed to get two solid looks late in the first half, but YellowJacket goalie CJ Leyva was able to keep one out of the net while the other soared wide.
Exchanging corner kicks and shots early in the second half, it continued to be a defensive battle as the score stayed deadlocked at zero until the final eighteen minutes of play.
It was the same duo from the shot attempt in the 10th minute that got the YellowJackets on the board in the 82nd minute as a free kick by De La Torre gave the LETU men the spark they were looking for. The service would be sent in perfectly to Smith who tapped it in for the YellowJacket lead.
The defense would then be asked to step up again for LETU as a game-winning save by Leyva in the 83rd minute off of a header by the War Hawks kept LeTourneau in front with their 1-0 lead. Following the header, the War Hawks would be unable to get a shot off in the final seven minutes as the YellowJackets held on for the win.
Key Stats:
Leyva earned his second win of the season in the net for the YellowJackets, rejecting two shots from the War Hawks in 90 minutes of play.
De La Torre recorded his third assist on the season while Smith scored his first goal of the season.
While neither team was able to capitalize off of their corner kicks as the War Hawks held a 4-2 advantage.
The shot advantage favored the YellowJackets 7-5, with two shots by each team coming on goal.
What’s Next?
Looking to take two in a row, the YellowJacket men will return to action at their home field on Saturday, September 22 as they take on Hardin-Simmons University. The Cowboys will enter Saturday’s matchup coming off of a Thursday night loss to East Texas Baptist and will come into Longview with a 0-5-1 overall record.
Corner Kicks The Difference In 2-1 LeTourneau Women’s Soccer Win
LONGVIEW, Texas – Using a pair of corner kicks from freshman Kara Gipson that would be headed home, the LeTourneau University women’s soccer team would overcome a 1-0 second-half deficit to earn a 2-1 victory over McMurry University at the LETU Soccer Field in Longview, Texas on Thursday, September 20.
With the win, LETU bounces back to improve to 6-1-1 overall and 2-1-0 in the American Southwest Conference while the War Hawks fall to 2-5-0 and 0-2-0 in the ASC. The YellowJackets also take the regular-season series with McMurry 2-0 after having defeated the War Hawks earlier this season by a score of 4-0.
“We always focus on set pieces, and you could tell that McMurry does the exact same thing so I was very pleased that we were able to come back on a couple of corner kicks because we do work on those a lot,” said head coach John Antonisse in a post-game interview. “Our team gives it their all until the final whistle, so it doesn’t surprise that we were able to battle back.”
How It Happened:
Familiarity between the two squads proved to turn the first half into a defensive battle as limited opportunities kept the game scoreless at the half.
The best opportunity of the first half for a goal to be found came from the War Hawks in the 25th minute as LETU goalie Mackenzie Wilbanks would be forced to turn away a shot on a diving effort before seeing McMurry’s follow-up opportunity blocked by YellowJacket defenders.
Only three more shots total would be taken in the first half following the flurry by the War Hawks, with McMurry holding a 5-4 lead in the first half.
With the game still scoreless 10 minutes into the second half, the War Hawks would earn a corner kick that would be taken by Emily Fisher. The kick managed to find its way into the far back corner of the net to stun the YellowJacket defense and put McMurry up 1-0.
Looking for some set-piece magic of their own, LETU earned a corner kick at the 68:40 mark and used Gipson’s strength to put the ball into the far side of the box.
Awaiting the kick would be sophomore Jennifer Martin who headed the ball past the keeper and knotted the game at 1-1 with 22:11 left in regulation.
The goal by the YellowJackets seemed to turn the tide for LeTourneau as the YellowJackets became the aggressors for the rest of the game, earning another corner kick in the 75th minute.
Gipson once again would be called upon to take the kick and put the ball in nearly the same spot of the box where it would be senior Kristen Wunder’s turn to score her first goal of the year.
Holding their first lead of the game, LETU would then rely on its defense for the remainder of the game and hold the War Hawks shot-less in the final 15 minutes of action to preserve the win.
Key Stats:
With all three goals scored in the game coming off of corner kicks, it would be LeTourneau that would come out the more efficient team as each squad was awarded six corner kicks.
Each team would take four shots on goal, with the War Hawks outshooting the YellowJackets 10-7.
Wilbanks earned her third victory of the year in net, turning away three shots by McMurry while playing all 90 minutes between the pipes.
What’s Next?
LETU will be back in action on Saturday, September 22, when the YellowJackets play host to number nine-nationally ranked Hardin-Simmons University at 2:00 pm. The Cowgirls earned a 6-1 victory Thursday night at East Texas Baptist to improve to 4-1-0 overall.