RIO GRANDE VALLEY – When time ran out on the Southland Conference (SLC) match between The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's soccer team and the McNeese Cowgirls on Sunday, players from both teams dropped to all fours on the pitch of the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex.
The squads battled in a physical, up-tempo contest that ended in a 2-2 draw. The student-athletes were visibly spent as they gave all they had to the final whistle.
UTRGV (4-3-4, 0-0-3 SLC) used an early offensive flurry to take a 2-0 lead. Freshman midfielder
Rubi Ortiz scored her first collegiate goal – and the Vaqueros' first SLC goal – in the 12
th minute to capitalize on a series of corner kicks. UTRGV's tireless offensive effort resulted in three consecutive corners, and the third was the charm as the ball was sent out of traffic to the top of the box, where Ortiz delivered a strike into the net.
Eighty seconds later, UTRGV extended its lead to 2-1. Sophomore defender
Bianca Butler converted on the fourth corner of the first half in the 13
th minute after a good feed from sophomore defender
Rosie Train.
The Cowgirls (3-8-1, 0-2-0 SLC) picked up their offensive effort after falling behind, but UTRGV's defense did well to block or deflect would-be chances and maintain the lead. McNeese got on the board in the 24
th minute on a goal from
Dom Ducal.
Both teams played fast and physical throughout the first half. McNeese took more shots in the first 45 minutes, 6-3, but freshman goalkeeper
Heiddis Sigurdardottir made two saves to keep the Vaqueros on top at the break.
UTRGV was the aggressor on offense in the second half and took four shots in a three-minute span early in the frame. Freshman forward
Lisa Elowsson and sophomore midfielder
Linnea Eld were among the Vaqueros pushing the offense and peppering McNeese goalkeeper
Jackie Kelly with shots. Kelly made three saves to keep the Vaqueos off the board. The Cowgirls evened the match in the 62
nd minute on a goal from
Isabelle Smith.
Freshman goalkeeper
Kamila Aguilar took over in net for UTRGV with the contest knotted up and made a save on the first shot she faced in the 72
nd minute. Sophomore midfielder
Ayloni Garcia, a local product from Mission, also came off the bench and brought great energy to the pitch, contributing to a shot on goal for Elowsson in the 72
nd minute and helping to spark UTRGV's offense.
Senior defenders
Libby Beilfuss and
Abbie Bailey led an admirable defensive effort for the Vaqueros. Ortiz generated some late momentum and took a shot with three seconds remaining in the contest, but it missed left.
The Vaqueros outshot the Cowgirls 10-5 in the second half and earned nine corners to McNeese's four in the match. Ortiz and Elowsson both took three shots and put two on goal. Sigurdardottir finished with two saves and Aguilar had one. Kelly made three saves for McNeese.
UTRGV's next SLC match is Thursday at 6:30 p.m. against Houston Christian at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex. Attendance is free but fans will need a digital pass to gain entrance. Fans can sign up for the UTRGV Soccer Pass at
GoUTRGV.com/SoccerPass. A clear bag policy is in place at the facility.
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