ST. LOUIS – For the first time since 2011, the Missouri Baptist women's soccer team will make a trip to the AMC tournament semifinals. The Spartans defeated Hannibal-LaGrange 1-0 in two overtimes today.
The contest was a rematch of the 2012 AMC tournament quarterfinals, in which the Trojans defeated the Spartans 3-0. Today the roles were reversed, as the Spartans ended the Trojans season in exciting fashion.
The two teams could not find the back of the net in 90 regulation minutes. The first overtime was the same, and the second overtime had just 1:37 left when Anna Recer scored the game winner.
Neither team had any real scoring chances in the first half, but Sam Schulze did make four first half saves. Whitney Hatton made just one save for the Trojans.
In the second half, Hannibal-LaGrange had one major scoring chance. With 26:54 left in regulation, Abbie Brack received the corner kick and blasted a shot towards the left side of the net. Lindsay Giacoletto blocked the shot just before it went across the goal line, which kept the game scoreless.
In the first overtime, HLG had another strong chance to win the game with 6:33 left. After a corner kick went into traffic in front of the net, Brack settled the ball and fired the ball towards the right side of the net from ten yards out. Schulze went horizontal towards the post and denied the ball from going in.
With just under a minute left in the first overtime, Lauren Powers beat the defense and served the ball towards the far goal post. Schulze laid out once again to save the ball, but it went too far out of her reach. The Spartans got a lucky break as the ball went off the goal post and out of harm's way.
In the second overtime, Kaytlin Nevels had a chance to end the game, but Hatton made a nice save with 2:12 to continue the contest.
A shootout to decide the fate was nearing, but that did not stop the Spartans from attacking the net. With 1:37 left in the game, Kaytlin Nevels flicked the ball through a Trojan defender and found Anna Recer. She took two steps with the ball, looked up, and saw the keeper diving towards the ball. Recer just got the shot off in time as Hatton tried to dive for the ball and the ball crossed the goal line for the game winner.
The Spartans will now play for a spot in the AMC tournament championship game, as they play either No. 1 Columbia College or No. 8 Freed-Hardeman. Those two teams will play later tonight.
MBU gave Columbia its lone conference loss of the season in a 2-1 victory on September 24. The Spartans also defeated Freed-Hardeman 1-0 on October 11.
The AMC tournament semifinal game will take place on Monday, with a time and site to be determined later tonight.
