RICHARDSON, TX (04.08.21) - For the first time since 2013, the UT Dallas women's soccer team is heading to the championship game of the American Southwest Conference Tournament, advancing out of the league's semifinals on a penalty kick shootout with Mary Hardin-Baylor.
After two teams finished regulation and both overtime periods in a 1-1 draw, the Comets and Cru went to penalty kicks to see which program would be heading to Saturday's title match with Hardin-Simmons. After both squads made three of their opening five shots, it came to a sudden-death shootout to advance.
In the sixth round, freshman
Meghan Hollmann froze the Cru keeper with a shot to the left to lift the Comets to a 4-3 advantage and UTD freshman keeper
Megan Hannah dove left on UMHB's attempting try and made a game-ending save, her third of the shootout.
Keely Fillman,
Josie Meeks and
Sierra Foster each also connected on penalty kicks for the Comets.
Foster opened the scoring in the 45th minute with a put back of a saved shot by teammate
Jocelyn Boyle to lift UTD to a 1-0 lead at the break. It was Foster's third tally of the spring. The Cru found the equalizer, however, in the 67th minute with a header by Kristen Burdick off a corner kick by Zoe Elledge.
The Comets finished the match with 10 shots, six on frame, while UHMB took 29 shots over the 110 minutes, managing 10 shots on target. However, each team recorded just one shot in each of the two 10-minute overtime period. Hannah collected an impressive nine saves in regulation and overtime to keep the Comets in the contest and force the shootout.Â
Foster led UTD with five shots, three on goal, while five other Comets took a single shot.
UTD will now advance to the ASC title match at 3 p.m. Saturday and will face Hardin-Simmons, which dispatched East Texas Baptist with a 3-0 semifinal victory in the first game of the night. The Comets will be making their 10th all-time appearance in championship contest, winning the crown in 2002 and sharing the title in 2004. HSU has won or shared 20 of the 22 championships in league history, including the last 17 straight titles.
