Termini’s Late Goals Help SFA Prevail in OT Thriller, 2-1

Friday, October 27

Huntsville, TX

6:30 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

11-7-0, 8-3-0SLC

Sam Houston State

7-8-2, 4-5-2SLC

OT 1

OT 2

SFA

Sam Houston State

Termini’s Late Goals Help SFA Prevail in OT Thriller, 2-1

10/27/2017 11:28:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

SFA clinches the No.2 seed in the 2017 Southland Conference Tournament

By: Kevin Meyer | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

HUNTSVILLE, Texas—Two superb goals from freshman midfielder Katelyn Termini – one to tie the game and the second in overtime to win it—lifted SFA to a 2-1 victory against rival Sam Houston State in Huntsville and into the second seed for the Southland Conference Tournament next weekend. Termini scored her fifth goal of the season in the 86^th minute as the 'Jacks found themselves in dire straits after a Bearkat goal in the 80^th minute, and her golden goal in the 105^th minute sealed the win for the 'Jacks.

The win in Huntsville coincided with a 4-1 McNeese loss at Lamar, dropping them below the Ladyjacks in the standings and giving the 'Jacks the clear nod as the second seed in the 2017 Southland Conference Tournament. As such, the 'Jacks will draw Sam Houston State again in the opening round of the tournament, as the Bearkats will be the seventh seed, with the match set to take place at 11 a.m on November 1^st.

"What a great match", said SFA head coach Wally Crittenden. "We spoke all week about our competitive identity and representing who we are at a higher level in response to our last match. What a response our players gave tonight. Their effort was high, they played with great passion, and aside from the first 25 minutes, I was very pleased with how we grew into the game. Tonight was an intense match that saw our kids compete at a very high level and get a great game-winner in overtime that will certainly help us prepare for the SLC Tournament next week."

The match was a pitched battle throughout, as temperatures dipped and both teams battled the wind and each other to gain an edge. Sam Houston State was particularly aggressive in the early going, generating more shots while SFA shook off some rust on the offensive end. Hanna Barker would notch the first of 18 shots SFA would tally in the contest in the 16^th minute of play, with an attempt that carried wide of frame. Shortly thereafter, a service into the goal box from Mari Gillespie forced the Bearkats keeper Christina Hendershot to leap up and punch the ball away.

Several dangerous opportunities presented themselves for the Bearkats in the 22^nd and 38^th minutes of play, but Allyson Smith handled both attempts nicely for two of her five saves on the day to keep the match level 0-0. That score would carry into the halftime break as well, with the two sides having matched each other with six shots apiece.

In the second half, the 'Jacks nearly got the go-ahead goal from Caylon McMillan, who fired off a shot from distance to the far side of net. A leaping attempt from Hendershot was sufficient to get a hand on the shot and knock it away from the goal, one of three stops she would make on the night. Near misses from Fondren in the 73^rd minute and Moore in the 75^th kept the game scoreless until the 80^th minute, when the Bearkats struck first to take a very late lead in the contest.

The ' Jacks did not falter, however, and their persistence on the attack was rewarded in the 86^th minute, when Termini slotted away her first goal with 3:11 left to play to tie the game up at one apiece and force an overtime period. The first overtime was far from a formality, as Madison Hall very nearly scored on a well placed backwards header off a Barker throw in the 93rd minute, and the Bearkats nearly ended it with a header of their own two minutes later, if not for a great save by Smith. After a high miss by Moore on a shot to close out the first overtime, the game would head to a second extra period.

There would be only one shot in the second overtime, and what a shot it was, as Termini took a pass from Carli Arthurs, took a touch near the middle of the field and fired off a scintillating strike that beat the Bearkats reserve goalkeeper for the winning strike.

Continuing an impressive span of play with another great effort, Allyson Smith did all she needed between the sticks to get the win, making five saves in the victory and being one of four SFA starters to play every minute of the grueling affair. Sam Houston State managed 11 shots overall and six on goal.

-SFA-