HOUSTON – HCU entered Saturday's regular season finale tied in the Southland Conference standings with visiting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and capitalized on a pair of second half goals for a 2-1 win at Sorrels Field to secure the No. 4 seed in the upcoming SLC Tournament. Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University (HBU), underwent a name change in September 2022.
The win put the Huskies (6-9-3, 6-5-1 SLC) alone in fourth place in the league standings with 19 points and lines them up to face no. 5 Southeastern in the opening game of the 2022 SLC Tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 2. HCU was predicted to finish seventh in the league standings in the conference's preseason poll.
Emily Jaimes and
Mia Salas had a pair of early shots on target in the 11
th minute but it was Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (8-8-1, 5-6-1 SLC) who struck first. Morgan Westbury gained control near midfield and dribbled ahead with space and fired a rocket past HCU keeper
Chloe Bagshaw just inside the left post at the 17:17 mark. In the first half, HCU held a slim 8-6 advantage in shot attempts but it was the Islanders who had more shots on goal, 3-2.
The second half was a different story with HCU peppering 11 shots on goal in 20 total attempts while the Islanders managed just five shots. Goal number one for the Huskies came in the 56
th minute shortly after a corner.
Ryan Ford sent the corner into the box and it quickly bounced back out wide to her and she promptly passed it to freshman Alexia Murillo near the corner of the 18 yard box and Murillo buried a shot into the net to even the score. 12 minutes later, Alexa Huerta sent a cross into the box to
Evelyn Slaughter who converted with her second goal in as many games. Over the final 22 minutes, the Huskies stifled the Islanders and allowed just a single shot.
In goal, Bagshaw finished with four saves. Murillo's goal was the first of her career while Ford now has three assists on the season and Huerta has one.
The Huskies will open the 2022 SLC Tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 2, against Southeastern at 1:00 p.m. at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex in Natchitoches, La.
