The Lady Buffs have had a rough go lately with a record of four losses in seven games during October. However, the memory of those losses faded away on Oct. 28 as WTAMU clinched a spot in the Lone Star Conference tournament by defeating Eastern New Mexico University 2-1.
ENMU got the first tally when they scored 16:23 into the first half. The Zias gained momentum from the goal but wouldn’t be able to build on it as Lady Buffs player Leslie Briggs tied the game with a little less than four minutes left in the half. Jessie Thomas would break the tie less than two minutes later, sending the teams to intermission with the Lady Buffs leading.
The second half saw a lot of back-and-forth action but there would be no more scores, giving WT the 2-1 win.
“We’ve lost quite a few here lately and it felt really good to win,” Head Coach Chad Webb said. “We paid tribute to our seniors before we played and that’s always a little emotional, but we knew that winning the game today would put us into the conference tournament for sure. I thought that the girls were either motivated by the senior night or the chance to get into the tournament and maybe some other things.”
On Oct. 30, the Lady Buffs returned to No. 2-ranked Abilene Christian University to make up a postponed game from earlier in the season.
The first period saw multiple attempted shots for both teams as the goalkeepers worked overtime to keep their net safe. After 45 minutes, the teams would leave the field tied 0-0. The official shot tally for the half would be 8-5 in favor of the Lady Buffs.
The second period began similarly as both teams assaulted the nets. But a ball finally found the net when ACU’s Ashley Craig got the ball past Yvette Bedoy a little over 30 minutes into the half. WT registered seven shots in the half but wouldn’t score, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 victory.
The team will hit the road for the LSC Women’s Soccer Championship next weekend back in Abilene. Sixth-seeded WT will take on ENMU at 11 a.m. on Nov 3.
“I think we have a good chance [at the tournament],” Midfielder Kelsey Wright said. “There have been times in the past that the sixth-seed team has won the tournament. It’s not out of reach, we just have to put forth our top effort all game, every game.”
The Lady Buffs end the regular season with an overall record of 8-9-1 and an LSC record of 5-8-1.
