Box Score

The Dallas Baptist Women's Soccer Team fell in overtime 2-1 versus Azusa Pacific on Saturday in the National Christian College Athletic Association Championship. The Patriots (17-7-1) fall one win shy of matching a program best set the previous season, but do notch the second highest win record in school history after finishing runners-up  in the NCCAA National Tournament. APU (16-3-1) came from behind to knock of the No.1-Seed in the final, and also snapped a five-game winning streak for the Patriots.
 
Junior Lea Sedwick scored the only goal for DBU when she put the Patriots on the board in the 39^th minute. Sedwick's fourth goal of the year, came on an assist from sophomore, Dayna Debacker.
 
The lone advantage on the afternoon for the Patriots was short-lived, as the Cougars knotted the contest 1-1 thanks to a Haley Fisher goal at the 44:01 minute mark. The score would remain the same the final minute of the frame and into halftime.
 
Neither team would be able to break the stalemate in the second half of regulation. APU held a slight edge on shot attempts in the stanza, 6-5, but few opportunities presented themselves for either team. Both would open the half with a handful of shot attempts, but had nothing to show for it.
 
After spending much of the middle of the half with zero shot attempts, the Patriots best opportunity occurred around the 80^th minute. Sophomores Lindsey Eccles and Ashley Cox kicked quality shots at the net, but goalkeeper, Sarah Klinkenberg produced saves for the result.
 
Eventually at the 93:47 mark, Mayra Almazan delivered the game-winner with her 11^th goal of the year, lifting the Cougars to the NCCAA National Championship.
 
The Patriots were outshot 3-2 in the extra regulation half, but a pair of attempts from Cox would not land near, while Almazan's left-footer in the upper left corner made the difference in the final.    
 
Six-year Head Coach Michelle Lenard saw her players give it their best up until the very end. "Of course we are very disappointed to lose, but I am very proud of the girls this week," Lenard announced following the match.
 
"The game could have easily gone the other way if we had converted any one of our very good chances, Coach Lenard reflected. "Azusa Pacific is a very good team and gave us a very good game today."
 
DBU was outshot 15-13 in the loss, and was led by Cox with six shot attempts on the day. Her teammate, Eccles, would be the other Patriot player to produce a multi-shot attempt game with three. Each squad finished even with five shots on goal in the Championship Match.
 
Junior Kerry Edwards (17-7-1) suffered the loss giving 93:47 minutes of action, while grabbing three saves and allowing a pair of goals.
 
Klinkenberg (16-3-1) was just as stellar with a complete game performance in the net. The keeper surrendered just one goal and nabbed four saves, including two big ones at the end of regulation.
 
Almazan matched a game-high six shot attempts for the Cougars, placing two on goal. A trio of APU players contributed two goals apiece including: Allyn Brown, Alyx Williams, and Haley Fisher.

"We played four games in five days and this is some of the best soccer I have seen us play all year," Coach Lenard praised. "Today was mentally and physically exhausting for us. At the end of the day we did all we could but just fell a little short."
 
Coach Lenard concluded, "This was another record year for the program and we certainly continue to move in the right direction."