EL PASO – Abilene Christian and UTEP soccer went to overtime for the fourth time in five meetings, but this time it was the Wildcats who prevailed with a 2-1 victory after junior
Dylan Owens finished a breakaway pass from
Christina Arteaga in the 99th minute.
Sunday's victory was ACU's first of the season (1-1) and first against the Miners (0-2) in a series that dates back to 2013. Today's meeting also marked the first time either side scored more than one goal.
"It was an exciting and stressful game," head coach
Casey Wilson said. "UTEP is a tough place to play and a quality team. It came down to who was going to have a chance in sudden death and we were able to finish. It was a good win for our program."
ACU took an early 1-0 lead in the 30th minute when sophomore
Samantha Vestal's corner kick was mistakenly punched into the netting, but that advantage only lasted 10 minutes after Kennadie Chaudhary headed in a deflected pass from Isabel Trevino.
The two sides went into the break knotted at 1-1 and the score remained the same throughout the second half, as neither team would capitalize on their opportunities. UTEP outshot ACU 14-13, but the Wildcats held an 8-5 shots on goal advantage.
Arteaga led ACU with four shots, while
Chloe Fifer,
Dylan Owens, and Vestal each recorded two. Goalkeeper
Erin Smith played all 99 minutes and recorded four saves to win her first collegiate contest.
The Wildcats return home to Elmer Gray Stadium Friday at 7 p.m. when they play host to North Texas.
