The Trojans Defeat the Lady Norse in Thrilling Fashion
Soccer is a very unique game where one never knows what’s going to happen. Thursday night the Trojans had to fight through adversity, and through it they stuck together to pull out a stunner in Miami. The heart and hustle displayed by the team throughout the 109 minutes of soccer was at the highest levels possible. It took two overtimes to decide the final outcome. The Trojans had to play some of the game and both overtimes with just 10 girls after a red card was issued late in the game. At that point, the team picked up the slack and played better than they had all game, dominating both overtimes and eventually finding the game winner.
In the first half, NEO had more of the opportunities than SSC with 7 shots compared to 4. Goalkeeper, Giselle Longoria, came up with a huge save on a penalty kick in the first half to keep the score tied at 0-0. In the second half, the ladies started to find their rhythm on the only turf field they have played on all year. The ball started moving faster, possession got better, the touch became crisper, and the ladies began to play the way they are accustomed to. Yolanda Oke came up with a big shot off of a volley that was saved by the keeper. Late in the second half the adversity kicked in for the Trojans. A player was given her second yellow card of the game and sent off the field. The Trojans were now set to finish the game down a player in a 10 v 11 scenario. At this time, the family mentality kicked in and even minus a player the Trojans took control of the game.
The first overtime yielded no results. In the second overtime with only 50 seconds left on the clock, NEO had a corner kick to try and win the game. The ball was knocked loose in front of Oke. She carried the ball forward on a counter attack opportunity and fed the ball forward to the blazing Alexis Davis. Davis outran the defense 60 yards downfield with the ball to blast in the game winner. Davis said of the game winning goal: “Yolanda gave me a perfect ball to keep my run going. It was great seeing the excitement of my team when they rushed onto the field.”
The Trojans now own a record of 12-2-1. They play at Eastern Oklahoma State on Sunday at 1:00 pm, before returning home for Sophomore Night on October 18th.
Coach Hill stated about the win: “There will always be adversity to overcome in any game. The girls did a wonderful job tonight of staying together to gain a hard fought victory. Family has been our motto since the program was established, and tonight we saw what that really means.”