ABILENE – Senior
Chloe Fifer scored a golden goal penalty kick in the 106th minute Friday, giving Abilene Christian a 2-1 double overtime win over Houston Baptist at Elmer Gray Stadium in the Southland Conference opener for both teams.
The Wildcats improved to 3-5 and 1-0 Southland play on the season while Houston Baptist dropped to 1-4-1 and 0-1 conference play.
Fifer's penalty kick was initiated by a yellow card presented to HBU's Kaimyn Beal, who tripped up ACU's senior captain inside the 18-yard box a few feet from the end line. Fifer gathered herself after a few moments, but once at the line she ripped a quick shot into the upper 90 past the outreached arms of goalkeeper Alanis Guevara, who was brilliant at time tonight with 11 saves – nine of which came in the second half.
This goal was Fifer's first of the season and seventh of career.
Prior to Fifer's goal, the only other blemish on Guevara's performance was a 25th minute goal struck by sophomore
Shay Johnson, whose third goal of the fall gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. Johnson received the pass from sophomore
Samantha Vestal near the top of the 18-yard box, and dribbled around a defender before punching it past Guevara from about seven yards away.
Vestal has three assists on the season, and Johnson tied
Dylan Owens for the team's points lead with seven.
The Huskies netted their equalizer seven minutes later when Megan Rickert crossed the ball over to Emma Dooher, who worked her away around a defender and headed a six-yard diagonal strike past ACU goalkeeper
Erin Smith (one save).
ACU recorded several opportunities to take the lead in the second period outshooting the Huskies 16-2. The Wildcats'
Megan Baer fired a shot in the 88th minute in hopes of ending the game but Guevara got both hands on the ball to record the stop.
"It was a good game to win," head coach
Casey Wilson said. "We have been struggling to put the ball in the net lately. With 34 shots we needed to get a couple (goals) tonight."
The Wildcats registered four shots in the first overtime period with their best chance coming when Guevara caught a header from freshman
Isa Sanabria.
ACU out shot HBU 34-9 overall and 13-2 shots on goal. The Wildcats also recorded eight corner kicks, while allowing the Huskies to take only one.
The Wildcats return to action September 22 and September 24 when they head to Louisiana to take on Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls.
