With the clock winding down in the first overtime and its winning streak on the line, the Arizona soccer team was seconds away from heading to a second extra frame.
Sophomore forward Sally Thurner made sure that was as far as they’d go, netting the game-winner at the 99:04 mark to give the Wildcats their fourth straight win.
Tied 1-1 at the end of regulation against Montana yesterday, freshman midfielder Jacqueline Broussard hit Thurner on the right side of the goalie box, and she buried her second goal of the season.
“”Jackie slipped me a perfect ball,”” Thurner said of the pass.
Said UA head coach Dan Tobias: “”It shows good character to come back in overtime.””
Even with the streak intact, the win left much to be desired for the Wildcats (6-2-0), who also beat Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo 3-0 Friday.
“”I think we did not control the midfield,”” Thurner said, “”but we found a way to get it done.””
Said Tobias: “”This wasn’t pretty today. We did not keep the ball well. … We’re a performance-driven program, and we just did not perform.””
Montana (3-5-0) gave the Wildcats a beating yesterday afternoon with an aggressive game from both benches.
Sophomore defender Brianna Caceres came away from the game with symptoms of a concussion while going in for a header.
On Friday, sophomore forward Gianna DeSaverio had two goals in the win over Cal Poly (4-4-0).
Goalkeeper Chelsea McIntyre, a sophomore, didn’t allow a goal until the 79:26 mark of yesterday’s game, running her streak to 379 minutes and 39 seconds without allowing a goal – a streak that spanned five games, and included three shutouts.
But it’s not all McIntyre, as the defensive corps in front of her has reduced the number of shots headed her way.
“”We are doing better defensively,”” Tobias said. “”It’s just a discipline thing. It’s easy to lose your focus, and we got caught.””
Even with the weekend sweep, Tobias said the team has much to work on.
“”We all know the result we are trying to achieve (and) things we need to continue to improve upon,”” he said. “”We haven’t come close to our best 90 minutes.””
