STEPHENVILLE, Texas
– Tarleton State closed the door on just its second season of women's soccer on Sunday with a 3-1 loss against Grand Canyon at the Tarleton Soccer Complex.
Prior to first kick, the Texans honored senior
Macie Witter with a pregame ceremony for her two years with the Texans. Her parents Greg and Gina, sister, Tessa and brother, Cole were on hand for the occasion. Witter will graduate in December with her master's degree in business administration from Tarleton State. She graduated from Georgia in 2021 with an undergraduate degree in computer science. After graduation she intends to pursue a career in the racing industry.
GCU (11-4-4 overall, 5-1-3 WAC) will continue its season, as the Lopes will head to the WAC Tournament in Riverside, California starting next week as the third seed. The Texans (4-12-3, 1-7-1) end their season and will embark on their third campaign as a program next August.
Emma Barnes relieved
Mikayla Kendall starting the second half. Barnes notched a career-high six saves on all six shots she saw to lead the team for the first time this year.
Sydney Rouillard notched her third goal of the season to tie
Avery Harr and
Mila Bettinelli for second most behind
Rylee Low (4).
The nation's active leading goal scorer, Gianna Gourley, was held scoreless by the Texans for just the fourth time in conference play. Tarleton joins Abilene Christian as the only programs to hold the WAC's top two goal scorers scoreless, Gourley and Utah Valley's Faith Webber, this season.
GCU got on the board first in the ninth minute of the contest. Leah Pirro received a out-front pass from Brenna Alderson to put the Lopes up 1-0 early.
The Lopes tacked on another goal less than two minutes later when Alderson found herself on the scoring side of the goal. After a deflection from Kendall, Alderson took a shot from the top of the box that sneaked past Kendall for GCU's second goal of the game.
With just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Harr streaked down the sidelines and beat a pair of defenders, to leave herself on a one-on-one with the goalie. She fired a shot to the top left that had goal written all over it, but the keeper's outstretched fingertips nicked the ball just over the crossbar.
Just before halftime, GCU added its third goal. Payton Fisher was the recipient of a pass from Hannah Smith that she tracked down into the corner and fired to the middle where Fisher was able to find the back of the net.
Ten minutes into the second half, the Texans almost found their first goal of the contest. On a free kick from
Jaycie Bass,
Nicole Fels found a loose ball and just hit the outside of the right post as she tried to hook in a goal with her right foot.
With just over 15 minutes remaining, Bass took a corner kick from the bench side. She found the head of Rouillard just a few feet in from the Lopes keeper where she was able to lift it over for the Texans first goal of the contest.
Tarleton surrendered fewer fouls than its WAC opponent for the eighth out of nine tries this season, 14-4.
A numerous of program records were shattered after its second season of competition, and Tarleton will continue to build its program to new heights next season.
Tarleton State Women's Soccer will return next fall when the university is expected to conclude its reclassification process making the Texans eligible for NCAA postseason tournaments and rankings.
