No. 9-seed Tyler Junior College hands the Lady Tiger soccer team its first defeat, 1-0
Allowing a goal in the first five minutes of its national tournament opener against No. 9-seed Tyler Junior College, the No. 5-seed Cowley College women’s soccer team could not recover while suffering its first defeat of the season in a 1-0 loss to the Apaches on Monday in the opening game of the NJCAA Division I Women’s Soccer National Championships in Enid, OK.
Cowley (14-1-4) had its seven-game winning streak come to an end, while Tyler improves to 12-4-7.
On Monday, Tyler's Ahlem Ammar scored only 4:29 into the contest, and the Reivers made the lead stand up as Cowley was held scoreless for only the second time this season.
"One mistake cost us," Cowley head coach Roberto dos Santos said. "We played our game and had several chances, but we could not finish our opportunities. It was a frustrating game."
Playing with the wind at its back, Cowley controlled the first half but was unable to find the back of the net with any of its shot attempts.
Cowley could muster only two shots in the second half as Tyler's goalkeeper Marieke Pohl needed to stop only three shots while recording the shutout. All three shots on goal came from Lady Tiger freshman Saki Sanno.
Lady Tiger goalkeeper Julia Suelly stopped three of the four shots she faced in goal.
The Tigers will face No. 4-seed Iowa Western (16-1-5) today at 5:30 p.m. at the Advance Soccer Complex in Enid. The Reivers defeated Tyler JC 2-1 on Sunday, so Cowley will likely need to beat Iowa Western by a two-goal differential to advance out of Pool D.
"It is tough to turn around and play again less than 24 hours later, but that is how nationals work," dos Santos said. "We need to reset our mindset."
Iowa Western has won nine consecutive games. However, dos Santos said his team will be ready to go come game time.
"We need to remain confident, regroup and fight," dos Santos said.