Scorpions Win RRAC Tourney Championship, 1-0

Posted October 27, 2007
FORT WORTH -- How sweet it is!

 

In its first year of soccer, the UTB/TSC women's soccer team can call itself champions, after stopping Bacone College, 1-0, to win the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament championship Saturday, October 27, at Martin Field.

 

Lena Candia sprints downfield past Bacone College defender

The Scorpions, now 13-6, came into the tournament as the third-seed in the six-team tournament, because they were 5-2 in regular season play with two losses to Northwood University and Texas Wesleyan University.

 

They left the tournament as the champions, and the players drenched Coach Nik Barjaktarevic's bald head with a cooler filled with cold water.

 

"It was cold, but felt good," Barjaktarevic said.

 

UTB/TSC blanked TWU, the #2 seed, 2-0, on Friday, to earn a spot against Bacone, the #4 seed which beat Northwood, the #1 seed, in its semifinal Friday.

 

With the win, UTB/TSC gets a ticket to the NAIA Region VI Tournament playoffs starting next Saturday, November 3.

 

The shutout was the fifth straight for the Scorpions, who ended the regular season with two shutouts and blanked three opponents in three days at the RRAC Tourney.

 

Jessica Hamer played all 90 minutes as Scorpion goalkeeper, and had one save. Defenders Aliesha Cassie, Kristin Resing, Kari Brown, Olyvia Gaytan and Jessica Herrera helped preserve the shutout.

 

"It was great, there's going to be a lot of smiling on the ride back home," Barjaktarevic said. "It was a hard-fought championship. We're pumped up about how we're playing right now. It's a great accomplishment for the whole team."

 

The Scorpions scored the only goal of the game in the 21st minute on a 20-yard shot by Lena Candia that stayed low to the ground and went into the far corner of the net. The shot was set up by defender Aliesha Cassie, who maneuvered her way through the midfield to pass the ball to Candia.

 

Lena Candia (20) gets congratulatory hug from teammate Aliesha Cassie after game-winning goal

"It was a nice set-up and a nice goal," Barjaktarevic said. "Aliesha did a good job finding an opening and getting the ball to Lena."

 

The Scorpions had 21 shots, eight of which were shots on goal. Bacone had six shots, only one of which was a shot on goal saved by Hamer.

"We knew that Bacone would play a good defensive game," Barjaktarevic said. "They played with six defenders, and three midfielders, and one forward. They showed tremendous heart for a team that played with 12 players in the whole tournament."

But the Scorpions' defense was just a little bit tougher in its fifth straight shutout. "We played real organized defense," Barjaktarevic said. "It’s tough to play hard for 90 minutes, we knew Bacone would be dangerous on counter-attacks. Brittany Moseley played big for us and starting our attacks."

Now it's a wait-and-see time for the Scorpions, to find out what seeding position they will receive for the six-team Region VI Tournament, which starts Saturday, November 3. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth seeds begin play that day, with the fifth and sixth seeds will travel to the home sites of the third and fourth seeds.

UTB/TSC could be seeded anywhere between No. 4 and No. 6. The tournament seeds and pairings will not be announced until late Monday, October 29.

"We’re peaking at the right time, and we’re playing good soccer, and that’s the most important," Barjaktarevic said.