ABILENE – It took two extra periods, but the Wildcats (4-3) used a loose ball near the net from freshmen Julie Coppedge to outlast the UT-Permian Basin Falcons (2-5) Tuesday evening. In the 102nd minute of the second overtime freshmen Lexi Stirling shot was blocked by a Falcon defender and Coppedge found the rebound and the net for the 3-2 win at the ACU Soccer Pitch.
An early goal in the 14th minute for Katie Miller gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead as both teams struggled to get good looks at the net.
UT-Permian Basin tied the game in the 70th minute as Hannah Dozier lead a break-away just beating senior goalkeeper Crissy Lawson. Just three minutes later Lawson used help from the cross bar as a shot from Dozier was deflected off the bar, however she could not recover in time as Dozier's second goal came off the rebound giving the Falcons a 2-1 lead.
A physical second half reduced the number of shots as ACU out shot UTPB 19-14 in the contest.
Stirling was able to add her first of two assists as she fought hard to recover a loose from a Falcon defender and find Courtney Wilson who tied the game at 2-2. The goal was Wilson's third goal in two games as she now leads the Wildcats in goals.
ACU will travel to San Angelo to open conference action on Friday against Angelo State for a 4 p.m. start. The Wildcats will then be returning home to close out their non-conference slate against UT-Brownsville on Sunday.
