The Cowley women’s soccer team has season end with a heartbreaking overtime defeat
With a chance to advance to play for the program’s first-ever national title, the No. 5-seed Cowley College women’s soccer team scored the opening goal of its semifinal game against the top-seeded and unbeaten Daytona State College (FL) before losing in overtime by a score of 2-1 at Thursday’s NJCAA Division I Women’s Soccer National Championships in Enid, OK.
Advancing to the national semifinals for the second time in three years, the Lady Tigers finish the season with a record of 16-2-4. Daytona State (19-0) moves on to play in Saturday's national championship game, where they will face the winner of the Arizona Western vs. Seminole State (OK) contest.
Facing a Daytona State squad that had outscored its opponents 89-5 on the season, the Lady Tigers came out playing with nothing to lose. A foul by Daytona State in the box allowed Cowley's Sara Cortes to score on a penalty kick just over one minute into Thursday's contest as the Lady Tigers grabbed control early on.
The goal by Cortes was her team-leading 20th of the season.
The Falcons would tie the game at 1-1 when Sienna Gillespie scored off an assist from Shaneil Buckley with 11:08 remaining in the first half.
With both teams finding scoring opportunities in the second half hard to come by, the game was sent to overtime, tied at 1-1.
Less than two minutes into overtime, Buckley scored off an assist from Vanessa Manoli to send Daytona State back to the national title game, which they won a year ago against Arizona Western when the tournament was held in Wichita, KS.
Lady Tiger sophomores who were a part of back-to-back national tournament appearances are Sara Arsee, Sthefany Silva, Kelig Jeffroy, Louyse Christine, Lauren Howard, Mai-Line Geffry, Lou-Ann Le Moel, Aimee Ibanez, Sabrina Barbosa, and Mireen Hernandez.
Roberto dos Santos, the KJCCC Division I Women's Soccer Coach of the Year, will return all-conference performers Julia Suelly, Lea Ducarin, Sara Cortes, Sophie Knaab, Camille Carniglia, and Saki Sanno, as Cowley looks to make it back to the national tournament for a fourth consecutive year.