Soccer Drops Overtime Heartbreaker 3-2 To Alabama A&M

Texas Southern jumped out to an early 2-1 lead behind first-half goals from Alyssa Valdez and Ava Coverdale, but Alabama A&M rallied with two unanswered goals to claim a 3-2 overtime victory Thursday afternoon at Lady Panther Soccer Field.

Alabama A&M struck first in the 11th minute as Czaske Deane scored off an assist from Kyleigh Ward to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage.

The Tigers wasted little time responding as Valdez, who earned All-SWAC Second Team honors, found the back of the net at the 13:31 mark for her third goal of the season, evening the contest at 1-1.

Texas Southern continued to apply offensive pressure as Coverdale, who recently earned SWAC Newcomer of the Year honors, placed a shot on goal in the 15th minute, forcing Alabama A&M goalkeeper Adriana Durango to make a save. The Tigers eventually broke through again at the 18:50 mark when Coverdale scored her team-leading 10th goal of the season to give TSU a 2-1 advantage.

The Tigers maintained their one-goal lead throughout the remainder of the opening half despite continued pressure from the Bulldogs. TSU finished the period with six shots and four corner kicks while holding Alabama A&M to one goal on six attempts.

Both teams continued to battle defensively in the second half as Texas Southern looked to protect its narrow advantage. Alabama A&M increased its offensive pressure with six second-half shots, but

TSU goalkeeper Alessandra Bastidas helped keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard with three saves during the period.
With time winding down, Alabama A&M finally broke through in the 83rd minute as Jordyn Washington scored at the 82:46 mark to even the contest at 2-2 and force overtime.

The Bulldogs carried their late momentum into the extra period as the ball got past the TSU defense and Washington took advantage of the 1-on-1 situation to scored her second goal of the afternoon at the 94:28 mark to complete the comeback and secure the 3-2 victory.

Texas Southern finished with 11 shots, including four on goal, while Alabama A&M recorded 13 shots with seven on target. The Tigers held a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Coverdale and Juliette Gomez led TSU with three shots each, while Valdez added two attempts. Bastidas played the entire contest in goal and finished with four saves.