ROUND ROCK, Texas – In the second period of extra time,
Kaley Kaspar knocked in the golden goal, lifting the Concordia Texas women's soccer team to a thrilling 2-1 victory over UT Dallas on Thursday.
Kaspar, fresh off an ASC Offensive Player of the Week award, drilled a shot into the bottom left corner of the net, scoring her third goal in as many matches and earning her first career game-winner.
The Tornados and the Comets were both off to a 2-0 start in ASC play, placing them in a tie for the top spot in the league, but CTX took sole possession of first place with the 2-1 win, extending their winning streak to four matches and advancing their conference record to 3-0.
This victory marks Concordia Texas' first win over UTD in program history, as well as their best start to ASC play since the 2012 season.
The Comets were the first team to strike in the match, taking a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute on their first shot of the game.
However, the Tornados' defense recovered, combing stout play on the back line with six saves from keeper
Lora Tresco to keep the UTD attack at bay and hold them scoreless for the remainder of the match.
Concordia Texas recorded six shots in the first half, including two on-goal from
Patricia Heckendorn and Kaspar, but were held scoreless in the first 45 minutes. At the halfway point, the Tornados trailed 1-0.
Kallie Krenz fired three shots on-goal in the first 15 minutes of the second half, forcing the UTD keeper to make plays in the net.
Heckendorn finally broke through for a score in the 77th minute, knocking in the equalizer after an assist from
Falynn Pyterek, and the match was even at 1-1.
Jenna Townsley and Krenz followed with great strikes of their own in the 80th and 84th minutes, but the score remained even at the end of regulation.
In the first overtime period, the Tornados pressed the attack as
Emma Visser and
Marissa Funk each fired a shot, but after ten minutes, the score remained even at 1-1.
Finally, in the 101st minute, a cross from Heckendorn set up a Kaspar's game-winning goal, ending the match on a perfectly placed shot in the bottom left corner to secure the 2-1 victory over UT Dallas.
The walk-off score was Kaspar's fourth goal of the year, and the assist from Heckendorn made it two straight games with both a goal and an assist for the sophomore forward.
Concordia Texas will have a quick turnaround, hosting Ozarks at St. Michael's Academy on Saturday at 1 pm for an ASC matchup, as the squad will look to continue their winning ways.
