SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) women’s soccer team delivered a dramatic postseason victory, defeating Texas A&M University-Texarkana 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw through regulation and two overtime periods.
The Saints battled through a competitive opening half, with both teams creating scoring opportunities but neither finding the back of the net. Texas A&M-Texarkana broke the scoreless tie in the 64th minute when Ziah Zachry scored off an assist from Lillian Miller to give the Eagles a 1-0 advantage.
OLLU responded with a determined effort, continuing to push forward in search of the equalizer. The Saints found their breakthrough in the 80th minute when Eleonora Diversi scored an unassisted goal, bringing the match even at 1-1 and shifting the momentum back in OLLU’s favor.
Neither team could find a go-ahead goal during the two overtime periods, sending the contest to a penalty shootout. The Saints remained composed under pressure, converting four of their five attempts to secure the 4-2 shootout victory. Deserie Herrera, Angela Garcia, Mariana Medrano and Miya Haehnel each converted their penalty kicks to lead OLLU to the win.
Goalkeeper Carola Verano played an important role throughout the contest, recording nine saves in 110 minutes of action. Diversi led the Saints offensively with five shots, all on target, while Grace Reed added four shots, including three on goal. OLLU finished with 20 total shots and 14 shots on goal.