Scorpions Win Championship in Shootout, 3-1
 Posted October 27, 2007
 FORT WORTH -- The incredible ride continues.

The Scorpions men's soccer team added a Red River Athletic Conference Tournament championship to its regular-season championship with a dramatic win over Texas Wesleyan University on penalty kicks, 3-1, here Saturday, October 27, at Martin Field.

The Shootout
Goalkeepers:
TWU: Joakim Soderbaum
Scorpions: Juan Gamboa

TWU #1 Eddie Hernandez:  Goal, lower left. TWU leads, 1-0
Scorpions #1 Brian Hardie: Goal, hit post on left side, rolled in. Score tied 1-1
TWU #2 Brad Egan: Gamboa save, lower right. Score remains tied 1-1
Scorpions #2 Ricky Rodriguez: Goal, right corner. Scorpions lead, 2-1.
TWU #3 Adis Druzanvic: Missed. Scorpions lead, 2-1.
Scorpions #3 Marko Malovic: Goal, right corner. Scorpions lead, 3-1.
TWU #4 Leo Cubrillo: Missed. Scorpions win, 3-1

UTB/TSC and TWU went 110 minutes -- 90 minutes of regulation play and 20 minutes overtime -- before going into a shootout, where the winner has to have a two-goal lead to declare a champion.

The Scorpions made the most of their chances, as Brian Hardie, Ricky Rodriguez, and Marko Malovic scored goals, and All-Conference goalkeeper Juan Gamboa had one big save.

The score goes down officially in the record books as a 1-0 Scorpions victory in two overtimes.

"To win the double (regular-season and tournament) championship in the first year is unbelievable," Scorpion head coach Dan Balaguero said. "All the credit goes to the players, who work hard in practice preparing for the big games. This is a great feeling, starting from scratch in February to get to this level."

The big games included Saturday's championship and a 1-0 regular-season win over TWU, the second-seed in the tournament, on the Rams' home field on September 29. "To beat Texas Wesleyan on their home field twice was unbelievable," Balaguero said.

The Scorpions had 22 shots compared to 17 for TWU. UTB/TSC had six shots on goal, while TWU had seven. Gamboa had seven saves during regulation play. The Scorpions played the last 15 minutes one man short when Mike Hudson received a red card.

"Juan Gamboa played really well, he was tremendous," Balaguero said. "He's shown a lot of poise out there, and even though he's a freshman, he's playing bigtime."

The Scorpions have qualified for the NAIA Region VI Tournament Nov. 3-6, but their seed in the tournament, opponent, and site will not be determined until Monday. UTB/TSC is likely to be seeded third or fourth, which would give the Scorpions a home game at Morningside Park on Saturday, November 3, in the first round of the region tournament.

By finishing second in the conference tournament, Texas Wesleyan also qualified for the regional tournament.

"Whatever happens between now and the rest of the season is more than anyone expected," Balaguero said. "But I hope to be playing deep into November."