ABILENE, Texas – Two goals in just over a minute in the first half propelled McMurry University Women's Soccer to its first ever postseason win, defeating LeTourneau University, 2-1, Tuesday night at Wilford Moore Stadium in the American Southwest Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
After an evenly matched first 25 minutes of play, the War Hawks were finally able to find the back of the net in the 26th minute.
Junior Sky Reynolds put the War Hawks (12-3-6) up 1-0, after lofting a shot from the top left corner of the box over the keeper's head into the upper right hand corner. Reynolds received a pass down the left sideline form sophomore midfielder Ashland Hansen before making a series of dribble moves to get inside the box.
Just moments later, the War Hawks were on the attack again. Freshman forward Alyssa Daily took the ball down the middle of the field before dropping a through pass to the left corner for Reynolds. Reynolds took one touch around a defender before finding a wide open Bri Caudle, who one-timed it with her left foot for a 2-0 lead.
The War Hawks defense kept the YellowJackets (9-8-1) off the board for more than 87 minutes, and did not allow a single shot in the first half.
Playing with a sense of urgency in the final minutes, LeTourneau drew a penalty kick after a foul in the box. Reagan Sandford found the back of the net to pull the YellowJackets within one.
LeTourneau finished with eight shots in the half, with five coming in the final 15 minutes. McMurry outshot LETU 10-8, including 5-4 in shots on target. Both Caudle and Reynolds had two shots on goal.
Senior goalkeeper Jordan Gregory made three saves in the second half allowing one goal, while junior keeper Cindy Villasana did not face a shot in her half of action.
The War Hawks will have another opportunity to face crosstown rival Hardin-Simmons Friday, when the two teams meet in the ASC semifinals. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
